After years of waiting, Cathy Beeson finally got to take a hot air balloon ride at the All Ohio Balloon Festival Saturday, courtesy of Memorial Health. Beeson is a cancer survivor and retired bus driver who lives in Richwood. Pictured from left is balloon pilot Scott Scobee, Jamie Grippin of Pennsylvania, Beeson and her partner, Wayne VanBrimmer.
(Photo submitted)
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For years, Cathy Beeson has wanted to take flight in a hot air balloon but could never quite make it happen.
“I’ve wanted to do this for a long time, it’s always been on my list of things to do, but year after year, I just couldn’t,” she said. “Something always got in the way.”
That all changed Saturday morning when her wish finally came true.
Last year, thanks to a contest done by Memorial Health, Beeson’s name was drawn as winner of the balloon ride, but even then, weather postponed the opportunity.
Beeson said it was her niece who works as a nurse at the hospital who told her about the contest.
“She asked me if I wanted my name in and I said ‘yes, of course,’” she said.
Her name was pulled but rough weather prevented any balloons from taking flight.
“The weather just wouldn’t cooperate,” Beeson said. “But they were kind enough to carry that over to this year. But even then, I went out Friday and couldn’t do it because it was just too windy.”
The trip was facilitated by balloon pilots at this year’s All Ohio Balloon Festival, held at the Union County Airport.
“I went back early Saturday morning and finally got to go,” said Beeson.
Unfortunate news
Beeson, who was born and raised in Ohio, describes herself as independent and adventurous. In her 20s, she moved out of Ohio and spent years in places like Colorado, Wyoming and Missouri.
“I spent 20 years in Missouri and that’s where I raised my kids,” Beeson said. She has a total of five children, some living in Ohio and some living in other states, which she appreciates since it gives her an excuse to travel to see them.
Beeson said she wanted to spend her time doing the things she loves, especially since getting some unfortunate news last year.
“I went in to the doctor because I had some back pain and found that I had a slow-growing tumor that was pushing against my aorta,” Beeson said. “Doctors told me they could treat it and put me on a two-year maintenance program.”
She is halfway through her treatment of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and said her doctors told her things are going well, but there is always that worry.
“I want to cross those other states off my list and the other things on my list,” she said.
Things have not been easy with the cancer treatments and the fact that Beeson has been caring for her parents over the years.
Coming home
Beeson returned to Ohio about ten years ago and began caring for her parents. She and her partner, VanBrimmer, live in Union County.
“It’s a Richwood address but it’s really between Marysville and Richwood,” she said. “It just felt like the right time to come back.”
She spent the last eight years driving school buses for districts in the county such as Fairbanks and Marysville before her retirement.
“I had to come back and be with the family. Dad died in May at 94 and I still look after mom, she’s 92,” Beeson said.
It’s possible her desire for a balloon ride may have come from her father who, she said, got to fulfill his own dream four years ago.
“We asked him on his 90th birthday if there was something he always wanted to do and never got the chance to and he said that he always wanted to be a pilot and fly,” Beeson said. “So we made that happen and he got to take a ride”
“My uplifting”
In the small hours of the morning Saturday, with a full moon still lingering in the sky, Beeson arrived at the Union County Airport for her long-awaited ride over Marysville.
“It was exciting to do, especially after all this time,” she said. “We got there at about 6:30 and the weather was just perfect. Still and calm.”
Beeson went up in the air with her partner, Wayne, as well as “a gentleman who came all the way from Pittsburg,” she said.
“It was just wonderful. We could see everything. We saw a beautiful sunrise. We got up to about 1,700 feet and you could just see everywhere,” she said. “It was beautiful, nice and smooth.”
Beeson said the balloon was at the mercy of a mild, southeasterly breeze but was able to take the travelers north of the city over Mill Valley and even to the Marysville Upground Reservoir.
“We went right over the water and dipped the basket in the water,” she said. “The pilot landed us right on the walkway of the reservoir.”
The balloon, piloted by Scott Scobee of Marysville, drifted over the city for about an hour, giving Beeson and her fellow passengers a 360-degree view of the area.
“It was a great experience. The pilot was very, very good and just did a great job,” Beeson said. “I loved it and would absolutely do it again.”
Beeson isn’t slowing down. She just came back from a trip to North Carolina and is planning another one in December.
“We’re taking mom and going to her place in Florida, which should be nice,” she said. “I’m excited to do these things and get my traveling in. I’ve called this whole experience, I’ve said, ‘it’s my uplifting.’”