ONE NSU MAGAZINE ROLLING OUT A NEW LIFE PLAN Naomi depended upon her job to provide health insurance, but working made maintaining her health untenable. “We finally hit a breaking point and saw that she really needed to take time off, so she did,” Ricci explained. “I proposed to her in October 2021, and she left the university.” One of the couple’s goals was to travel across the United States and be mobile, which could now be realized since Ricci worked remotely, and Naomi was no longer working. “We purchased an RV—a Class C that has a 32-foot living space—and hit the road around Thanksgiving 2021,” he said. “We plan our travels around Naomi’s treatment at the Mayo Clinic, which includes scans, X-rays, and other therapies. It’s very challenging to change hospital systems, so we wanted to stay within the Mayo system, because we trusted the Mayo Clinic’s medical staff, and it has three locations that are spread throughout the United States in Minnesota; in Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona; and in Jacksonville, Florida.” According to Ricci, a typical day begins with a significant amount of early-morning driving before reaching their destination. “Then, we stop somewhere, so I can work for eight hours, before getting back on the road,” he said. “We try to stay at RV parks or camping sites. We have an Internet-type satellite dish that sits atop the RV. I also use a mobile hotspot on my phone, so I can do Zoom meetings and maintain reports and databases.” 23
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