LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – A Las Vegas family moved heaven and earth to get their 75-year-old mother to see the solar eclipse in Texas.
“My daughter saw the eclipse in Jackson Hole a few years ago, and when we talked about going to see it in Waco, I said I wanted to go too,” Nancy Killeen said. explained.
It all started with a 75-year-old woman living in Las Vegas who wanted to see a solar eclipse.
Nancy Killeen's family began planning the trip of a lifetime for her mother several months ago. The hurdle was that she had severe osteoporosis and had to be strapped to a scooter to get around. But that wasn't the only obstacle, as weather was also a big factor.
“Being from Las Vegas, hearing about the tornado was a little shocking for us,” son Brian Lenihan laughed.
As the day approached, the family kept going back and forth about whether or not to go. They knew it had to happen. Their mother Nancy was a world traveler and she always had a sense of adventure, becoming a lawyer in her 40s and starting a business in her 50s. Now her children, Brian, Kathleen, Maureen and Peggy, wanted to give her this experience.
Her story about this trip was also published in the New York Times as a guest essay written by her daughters Kathleen and Maureen. When Nancy arrived in Texas and went to a solar eclipse event at Baylor University, she was recognized for her article.
Family members told 8 News Now that everyone they ran into from the airport to Baylor University was very kind to the scooter-riding mother. Baylor University Police also helped her around the barricade and brought her to the scene in the nick of time.
The family said they waited all morning in cloudy weather, but when it was time to watch the eclipse, the clouds parted and they had a perfect view.
“It was a cloudy morning with intermittent clouds, but by the time of the total solar eclipse, we had periods of sunshine and it was wonderful,” said Nancy Killeen. She said, “The week leading up to it was a do-or-die affair, but it was well worth it.''
The family is waiting to avoid crowds and plans to return to Las Vegas on Tuesday. An unforgettable family adventure.
“They've been amazing since I had to take early retirement and my husband passed away. They've been amazing,” exclaimed Nancy.
