Tony is out of this world!

Tony has lived in a Bridgewell residence since 2009. Tony is largely a homebody who enjoys in-house activities and short trips into the local community. Recently, Tony and I went to the movie theater to see “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.”

Tony has always been a fan of Star Wars, but this new movie awakened his fascination of spaceships and planets. After seeing the movie Tony expressed a growing interest in the cosmos and told me of his childhood dream of becoming an astronaut.

I was inspired by Tony’s story and started researching ways to experience space. I found a planetarium called The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord, NH.

Tony was hesitant at first because he likes to stick close to his home, but with some encouragement he opened up to the possibilities that awaited him. Tony agreed to take the 50 minute drive to the planetarium and I assured him that his trip would be worth a lifetime of memories.

Tony never thought he would get the chance to relive his childhood dreams. Once he got out of the van and saw the rocket outside of the planetarium his face lit up and he couldn’t stop smiling. He asked me to take pictures of him next to each exhibit and planetary display. When he decided that it was time to go, Tony turned to me and said, “Thank you for caring.”

• Melissa Gonzalez, Direct Support Professional

Thank you, Melissa for sharing this wonderful story and for going above and beyond for Tony and all his housemates.