By Lisa Goudy
Sharon and Alvin Cole knew there would be challenges to taking four mentally handicapped people living in their home on a trip to Mexico.
“I wasn’t quite sure whether it was a big mistake to attempt it. It’s a big undertaking, takes a lot of planning ... but it was really worth it,” said Sharon. “I think it is an opportunity to let people know that you can do it and it went really well.”
Sharon and Alvin, their two three-year-old grandchildren and the four mentally handicapped people living with them in their Moose Jaw home, Devin Magnuson, Tim Porter, Melvin Oakley and Kirby Tressel, were in Los Cabos san Lucas, Mexico from April 13 to 20 in a family-based area. Sharon said it was a pretty life-changing experience for them.
“It takes a lot of time for them to save the money to be able to go,” said Sharon, adding that Devin and Kirby had never flown in an airplane before. “None of them have ever been outside of Canada, certainly never been to the beach or seen the ocean or made a sandcastle.”
She added that people with handicaps should have the same opportunities as everyone else.
“All of the rest of us get the opportunity to travel. We get the opportunity to save our money and do things and people who live in different situations like this don’t get that,” said Sharon. “Maybe other people will be encouraged to try it.”
For more information, see Thursday's edition of the Times-Herald.
