According to those that know her, Noreen, age 77 of Brookdale West Hartford, is a “sweet, amazing woman” with an undeniable passion for golf. At 23 years old, Noreen immigrated from Ireland to the United States. She traveled alone and had no family in the United States. Then, Noreen met her husband through Irish-American events. Her husband introduced her to golf and she has been a huge fan ever since. For many years, they watched and played golf together. Unfortunately, Noreen’s husband passed away unexpectedly. When Noreen found herself on her own, golf became her outlet to go out and make friends.
Today, watching golf is her favorite thing to do. Noreen spends most of her time in her room where the golf channel is on 24/7. She enjoys rooting for Irish player, Rory McIlroy, who is her favorite. Due to her current health condition, Noreen finds herself limited, physically and socially. Her nominator and Activities Manager, Jessica explains, “As I got to know her and her love for golf, we felt this could be the key to open up Noreen into our community.” More than anything, her wish was to attend the Travelers Championship, a local PGA golf tournament.
With the help of Wish of a Lifetime and Brookdale, Noreen not only attended the Travelers Championship, but also had the opportunity to meet her favorite player, Rory McIlroy! “The highlight was meeting Rory in person and how excited she was when he walked out and greeted her,” said her son, Mark. “She was grinning from ear to ear right from the beginning and even after,” said Jessica, “It achieve a goal of helping her see that she can still enjoy the things she used to enjoy.
See video of Noreen meeting Rory McIrory here: https://www.facebook.com/RoryMcIlroy/videos/vb.152976388115795/1394224277324327/?type=2&theater
Special thanks to Rory McIlroy and Travelers Championship
Photos courtesy of Noreen’s family, Photographer: Jen (Noreen’s daugher-in-law)
