CNN iReport

Beth’s Bucket List: To Ride a Horse

By NEAL MOORE

OXFORD and HERNANDO, MISSISSIPPI (CNN iReport)

When Jay and Beth VanWinkle saw that their favorite actor, fellow Mississippian Morgan Freeman, was coming out with a new movie titled “The Bucket List”, Beth turned to Jay and said, “I’ve got to see that.” One year previous, Beth VanWinkle had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, and has been, as she puts it, “grasping for everything I could get [out of life – before it’s too late].”

The film inspired Beth and Jay to write down a short list of ideas they wanted to accomplish before Beth permanently goes into, what she describes as her “cave” – a place where she will be in her very own world.

Beth’s list included three things she had never before had the opportunity to do: 1) Meet actor Morgan Freeman – which she has done; 2) Skydive out of an airplane – which she has now accomplished twice; and 3) Have the opportunity to ride a horse.

In this report, we witness Beth leading the first annual Oxford Memory Walk as well as the story of Beth’s realization of her third and final wish - to ride a horse – a story which she will now be able to replay again and again, as her memory continues to fade.

To view the complete interview with Beth and Jay VanWinkle as well as an interview with Dr. Jo Ann O'Quin, please click here:  http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-349248

You can view the attached photos by clicking on the corresponding numbers located underneath the video box:

#2) Beth and Jay VanWinkle photographed the evening before their big ride, Oxford, Mississippi

#3) Beth and Jay VanWinkle recognized by Dr. Jo Ann O'Quin at the first annual Oxford Memory Walk, Oxford, Mississippi

#4) Beth VanWinkle (seated in the golf cart) leads the first annual Oxford Memory Walk, Oxford, Mississippi

#5) View from the "Forget Me Not Garden" set up outside the University of Mississippi Museum, Oxford, Mississisppi

#6) Famed Artist Roy Tamboli poses next to his creation "Bardo of Rose"

#7) Beth VanWinkle realizes her dream of riding a horse, Hernando, Mississippi

Follow the journey…

Blog: http://www.flashriversafari.com

Foundation: http://www.creativevisions.org

iReport: http://www.ireport.com/ir-topic-stories.jspa?topicId=321427

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mooreneal