Annie, “Laura,” 82, has been a fan for decades of the story, Anne of Green Gables, written by Lucy Maud Montgomery (published under L. M. Montgomery). From the moment she first read the book, she fell in love with Anne, a spunky orphan who was mistakenly sent to Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, a middle-aged brother and sister who had intended to adopt a boy to help them on their farm in the fictional town of Avonlea on Prince Edward Island. It was a story that Laura and her daughter would read together, and when the mini-series came out in the 1980’s, it was something that they would watch together as well. Having the chance to visit Prince Edward Island, the setting of Anne of Green Gables, has been something that she has wanted to do since she first discovered the story. And it was Annie’s Wish to bring both her daughter, Paula, and granddaughter, Chloe with her.
Annie has always been an incredibly self-less individual. In the 1980’s she volunteered through an adoption agency at her church. She would help conduct the post-adoption placement checks and home studies. She also volunteered for her children’s schools, whether that was helping on a field trip or assisting in any other event that was going on. Laura also served as a caregiver to her husband when he was living with Parkinson’s, congestive heart failure, and on dialysis due to end-stage kidney disease. Laura served as her husband’s caregiver up until her own health began to decline.
Even as she has grown older and volunteering has become more difficult, Annie still checks in on a homebound member of her church on a daily basis. Sadly, Annie has just recently learned that she has dementia. Learning this had made it even more important for her to have the chance to fulfill her wish since she may not be able to sometime in the near future. Wish of a Lifetime – with the assistance of Homewatch Caregivers – was excited to make Annie’s wish a reality.
On July 24th, 2017, Laura, Paula, and Chloe had the opportunity to tour around Prince Edward Island. This visit included going to see the Anne of Green Gables Museum, L.M. Montgomery’s birthplace, the Site of L.M. Montgomery’s Cavendish Home, and they also saw the play, “Anne & Gilbert,” which is a musical about Anne falling in love. Annie had such an incredible time touring the island with her family. Not only was this something that Annie will never forget, but it is a memory that will have a lasting impact on Paula and Chloe as well – perhaps on the daughters to come too as the story is passed on again.
Photography by: Brady McCloskey