90-year-old woman chooses travel over chemotherapy

Norma with her dog Ringo at the Grand Canyon. Photo / Facebook, Driving Miss Norma

A 90-year-old woman has opted out of cancer treatment to spend her remaining days on a once-in-a-lifetime road-trip with her family.

Just two days after her husband of 67 years passed away, a woman named Norma in northern Michigan was diagnosed with uterine cancer.

When her doctor explained that they could operate on the tumor and then put her through radiation and chemotherapy treatments, Norma politely declined.

"I'm 90 years old, I'm hitting the road," she said, according to post written by her daughter-in-law Ramie on Facebook.

'We had had time to talk to Norma beforehand about the likelihood that there would be some bad news coming from the doctor,' Ramie recalled.

"She made it VERY clear to us that she had no interest in any treatment. We 'got it' and were in complete support of her decision."

Norma's son Tim and his wife are full time RVers and when Norma got the devastating diagnosis, she decided to join them on the road for what time she has left.

Her plan got the full seal of approval from her doctor, who said, according to Ramie: "Honestly, there is no guarantee she will survive the initial surgery to remove the mass. You are doing exactly what I would want to do in this situation. Have a fantastic trip!"

Norma, her son, her daughter-in-law and their dog named Ringo hit the road in August, heading west from Michigan to see Mt Rushmore before checking out the natural wonders at Yellowstone, the Rocky Mountains and the Grand Canyon.

From there, they headed back east towards Florida where Norma recently went whale watching, visited NASA, sampled key lime pies, and got in touch with her inner child at Walt Disney World.

Her favorite adventure so far, according to Ramie, was a hot air balloon ride the couple organized for Norma as a Christmas present.

Photos from the special ride on Facebook show Norma grinning in delight as she's carried in and out of the balloon.

Norma and her family are currently in Florida and will continue to document the trip on their Facebook page, Driving Miss Norma.

Ramie said that she hopes the story will encourage other families to discuss end-of-life plans.

"Everyone has different ideas about how they want the end of their life to work,' Ramie told ABC News. "As a planet, we need to have this conversation."

- Daily Mail