Nursing Home Resident’s Harley Dream Comes True
Thunder Harley-Davidson helps fulfill bucket list wish for 62-year-old Pennsylvania man with multiple sclerosis.
A nursing home resident’s “ultimate” wish to ride a Harley has finally come true. Since 2011, Alan ‘Lee’ Peluso has been a resident of The Haven Convalescent Home in New Castle, Pennsylvania. The 62-year-old has multiple sclerosis.
Jamie Pease, a social worker at The Haven, asked each resident for their bucket list wish. For Peluso, it was to ride a Harley. “This was his ultimate dream, but he was unable to do it,” Pease told New Castle News. “He said it was something he’d waited a lifetime for.”
Pease contacted the Twilight Wish Foundation, which helped to fulfill Peluso’s dream. Since its 2003 inception, the nonprofit organization headquartered in Pennsylvania has granted 2,823 wishes for senior citizens.
Because of his health, Peluso didn’t actually get to ride on the Harley itself, but he was able to sit in the sidecar for a a half-hour ride through downtown New Castle and Cascade Park. Jared Lautzenheiser of Thunder Harley-Davidson in nearby Sharon drove the bike.
“I’m glad we could make it happen,” Lautzenheiser told New Castle News. “When we heard about this, we knew we wanted to be part of it.” The dealership, started by Lautzenheier’s grandfather, also gave Peluso some mementos, including a Harley T-shirt.
To complete the biking experience, Peluso also had his own motorcycle gang. Several nursing home employees and fellow ABATE of PA members rode along on the trip through town.
“We were able to make Lee’s dream of riding a Harley finally come true today!” A post on Thunder Harley-Davidson’s Facebook page says. “He had the biggest smile on his face when he got in that sidecar!”
Proof that dreams do come true. And that it’s never too late to ride a Harley.
Photos: New Castle News
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