Man in hospice had final wish to attend his 80th Kentucky Derby, and it’s coming true
By Addie Meiners
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LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (WLKY) — An 89-year-old Louisville native in hospice care wants to get in one final Kentucky Derby before he dies.
Bob Weihe has been to 79 Derbies in a row.
But in a wheelchair, unable to walk and unable to afford it, he feared his dying wish would not come true.
But after a public appeal, it looks like he’ll get that wish.
David Begnaud with CBS News shared a video online asking for help to grant it.
Weihe’s passion for the Derby began in 1946 when he attended his first race at the age of 8 with his mother.
“I was in the infield, and she had me climb up under people so I could see the horses,” Weihe said. Watching the horses thunder past, he said he was hooked.
“Once you go, you get a bug for it. Just watching those horses. It’s awesome,” he said.
Weihe’s wife, Barbara, has been his date to 62 Derbies, starting in 1957. “I had never been to the Derby or thought about the Derby. And, so the first year, my girlfriend and his guys, they all, you know, asked us to go out there. I had no idea,” Barbara said. “But we’ve had a lot of, a lot of really good times, you know.”
Over the years, Weihe has kept his streak alive through determination, including sneaking into ticketed sections and even finding his way onto the backside during the attendee-free COVID Derby. “It’s been pretty important. And like you, you know, see all the collections around here and then he has bobbleheads in there, and it’s been just, I don’t know, just part of our lives really,” Barbara said.
As his life nears its end, Weihe said attending his 80th Derby would mean a great deal to him. “It would mean a whole lot, something special,” he said.
Churchill Downs responded to Begnaud’s video, providing tickets to make Weihe’s wish come true.
Begnaud delivered the news, ensuring Weihe will continue his remarkable streak this Saturday.
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