Brad Ryan went to visit his 85-year-old grandmother and learned that she had never seen the ocean or most of her home country, so he set out to make it happen.
United States of America – Brad Ryan was feeling burnt out while studying in 2015, he took some time off from school and went to visit his grandmother. While on his trip, his gran shared a confession with him that changed both their lives.
He learned that she had never seen the ocean or any mountains, living in Ohio her entire life. He was heartbroken to hear she had never seen the beauty of the world.
He asked his gran if she would like to hike a mountain with him and she responded with a very enthusiastic yes. Since that first trip together, Brad has taken his granny to 29 national parks and several beautiful coastlines.
Over the last three and a half years, Ryan says that he and his grandma have collectively driven over 40,000kms through 38 states in the US.
“Seeing it through my grandmother’s eyes, who every morning wakes up and is thankful to be alive, has taught me how to live,”
“With her, I’ve had to slow down and see it in a different way, which has made it a lot more rich.
“I love my grandma so much, and it’s just really giving me a lot of peace that when she eventually does pass on, I can go back to these places and feel her spirit, feel connected to her, that she set her eyes on these same things,”
Brad started sharing his adventures on social media to inspire others to spend more time with their grandparents and ageing parents.
“I want people who are younger to know; you aren’t too cool to hang out with your grandparents. I think we’ve lost that as a society. There’s so much perspective and knowledge we stand to gain from our elders.”
Take a look at their adorable adventures below.
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