Team Gleason was thrilled to send San Diego locals Derek, his wife Amelia, and their close friend on an accessible private tour of the San Diego Zoo.

March 2022
by Amelia Ray

Derek has not had a chance to travel or get out much due to being very busy working and completing a PhD program prior to being diagnosed with ALS. He is only 33 years old and still has many items on his bucket list.

He is no longer able to travel distances, but we are fortunate to live in San Diego, which means we can visit the Zoo and Safari Park regularly. We have passes and we go often. Derek loves animals and has always wanted a private tour with the animals but has never had a chance to do it.

We absolutely loved feeding the giraffes. We loved seeing the Eurasian eagle-owl; we were told their vision is so exceptional, they can see the print on a newspaper from across a football field!

Our tour guide, Kevin, made our experience so positive. He was attentive and caring and as a result we didn’t experience any challenges on this visit.

Derek loves animals and the zoo, and this private tour is something he has never had a chance to experience. He was so excited to go on this tour.