Limitless Journeys

Valentine’s Day is a special time for many of us…but sometimes, it is not easy. February is that way in general for me. On February 2, 2020 not only were we in the beginning or a pandemic, looking for a new home, preparing to move my mother near us, too, my husband had a stroke- CVA (cardiovascular accident). Out of the blue, he became ill at our grandson’s birthday party and was admitted to the hospital a few hours later.

Our life changed in that moment. If you or a family member have experienced a major illness suddenly, you may understand. Over the coming weeks, he entered in-patient rehab and later on more rehab at home. We celebrated his birthday in the rehab hospital that year, on the 11th. We were surrounded by family and friends who love us and tried to make life a bit easier. He had to learn to walk again, talk, feed himself, shower and all the other things we often take for granted. Against many odds, he improved to become as independent again as he could. He is stubborn like that.

We were in shock. That first stage of grief and loss is real. We went on to experience the other stages, including bargaining, anger, depression and finally acceptance. It has not been easy. I was on a new journey I had never traveled before.

For him, it was giving up much of his independence and retiring from a company after 25 years. For me, it was juggling responsibilities and trying to stay positive when I felt the whole world coming down upon me. And, for us both, it was putting our faith to the test regarding adapting to the many changes we faced. One of those changes was related to travel.

He has always known one of my passions is traveling and new experiences around the world- or in our backyard. We had discussed this prior to marrying to make sure it was clear that this was important to me and not something I would leave out of my life. He reluctantly (a bit) agreed to be my travel partner at least 1-2 X a year. 🙂

Which brings us to the here and now. We have gone on various trips since that fateful day in 2020. We have learned ways to manage carrying luggage and parking cars at the airport and ambulating on uneven streets and not being too proud to ask for help, when really needed. We have learned that most travel suppliers are happy to work with someone with special needs, such as airport transports, resort staff and cruise assistants. We have learned to laugh at the odd situations that occur now and then and laugh at ourselves, as well. We have learned that we really are best friends after all and rely on each other. And…our friends and family who have supported us along the way are incredible human beings without whom we would have been lost.

Just because life throws us a curveball doesn’t mean we give up. Grit. Grit is what keeps us going daily into known and unknown situations when one has a chronic illness. And, a sense of humor helps, too. These experiences have helped me become a better person, wife, daughter and parent, along with a better travel advisor.

If you need special support to travel due to a disability or illness, it is out there. Don’t let this stop you from following your dream of seeing new destinations, far or near. The resilience of the human spirit can triumph over obstacles and open doors to new adventures. And, like Diane Nyad says, never EVER give up.