Life is not so “Splendor-ous”

[Gray Lady]

Life is fickle. We had planned the perfect Mediterranean cruise for next April: excursions, cabin, flights, and pre/post tours. And our first cruise! Then the wrench got thrown into the gears! During a routine colonoscopy, hubby found out he has cancer. While doing tests to help with the diagnosis, they found a big aortic aneurysm. Needless to say, our life has been turned upside down. He had the surgery to repair the aneurysm. Now we are embarking on a 6 to 8 month journey to deal with the cancer. Needless to say, we are not able to go on our cruise.

 

I want to thank everyone on this forum for all of their help. A few of you, pappy1022, DaveFR, papa flamingo, and Pcardad have been extra helpful with your insights. I have learned so much here from everyone and feel like I know you. Hopefully, life will allow us to try a cruise again and we can meet some of you in person.

 

I would like to ask anyone who is sailing on the Splendor from Barcelona to Rome April 10th to please post pictures and commentary from your trip. That way I can sail along with you in spirit. Again, a heartfelt thank you to everyone!

Cindy 

[pappy1022]

Keep the hope and the positive attitude and it will be OK. Prayers are coming your way.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

So sorry, congrats on the aneurysm repair at least, something close to my heart (lost my mum and a dear friend to this.) Best wishes for the cancer treatment, and let's hope you get to cruise in a couple of years.

[Dolebludger]

Very sorry. Good thoughts and wishes coming your way.

[Pcardad]

57 minutes ago, Gray Lady said:

Life is fickle. We had planned the perfect Mediterranean cruise for next April: excursions, cabin, flights, and pre/post tours. And our first cruise! Then the wrench got thrown into the gears! During a routine colonoscopy, hubby found out he has cancer. While doing tests to help with the diagnosis, they found a big aortic aneurysm. Needless to say, our life has been turned upside down. He had the surgery to repair the aneurysm. Now we are embarking on a 6 to 8 month journey to deal with the cancer. Needless to say, we are not able to go on our cruise.

 

I want to thank everyone on this forum for all of their help. A few of you, pappy1022, DaveFR, papa flamingo, and Pcardad have been extra helpful with your insights. I have learned so much here from everyone and feel like I know you. Hopefully, life will allow us to try a cruise again and we can meet some of you in person.

 

I would like to ask anyone who is sailing on the Splendor from Barcelona to Rome April 10th to please post pictures and commentary from your trip. That way I can sail along with you in spirit. Again, a heartfelt thank you to everyone!

Cindy 

Wishing you and your husband a happy and healthy resolution to this and hope you are back onboard as soon as possible...

[irishwitchy]

Well,  at least hubby found all of this out prior to being on the cruise! Best of luck. 

[forgap]

When friends ask us why we travel so much, I often reply that we are one fall and one diagnosis away from being unable to travel at all.  Surrounding you with light, prayers, hope, or whatever you need to get you through this difficult time.  

[Zqueeze1]

Wishing your husband a speedy recovery.  Get better and get back on board!

Z and TB

[Gilly]

Sending heartfelt best wishes to you both and hoping for a smooth journey through the next few months. Hopefully you'll soon be in a position to look forward to a cruise again x

[Gpilon]

From someone whose Bride is going through bout #5, and doing GREAT two years after last diagnoses, we hope the best for you. We will be on Grandeur in July and will toast to your health around pool bar.

 

[crusin7]

Hi Gray Lady.  I’m so sorry you both are going through this.  I empathize with you!  We were 2 weeks away from our first post Covid cruise when my husband was diagnosed with cancer.  He is doing great now.  We have 2 cruises under our belts and will embark soon on the World Cruise!  I pray for a quick recovery.  Hopefully he got the hardest surgery done first.  We are all sending you both our best wishes.  Xoxo Crisy

[papaflamingo]

So sorry to hear.  Sending thoughts and prayers that all goes well and we will meet aboard a Regent ship soon. 

[GeorgiaPeach51]

Oh, my.  What a full plate of life you are dealing with.  I’m so very sorry for so much devastating news, but touched to see that even with the devastating cancer news, a potential disastrous health issue was resolved.  And on top of all this, to lose the cruise you were anticipating is just one more shove when you are already down,  Sending you best wishes for skillful and compassionate medical personnel, and a good outcome for you both.

 

Joanie

[Gray Lady]

12 minutes ago, GeorgiaPeach51 said:

Oh, my.  What a full plate of life you are dealing with.  I’m so very sorry for so much devastating news, but touched to see that even with the devastating cancer news, a potential disastrous health issue was resolved.  And on top of all this, to lose the cruise you were anticipating is just one more shove when you are already down,  Sending you best wishes for skillful and compassionate medical personnel, and a good outcome for you both.

 

Joanie

Joanie, please continue to write about your adventures. I so enjoy reading them. I am happy to travel vicariously with everyone who shares their cruise experiences. Zqueeze1 also keeps me very entertained. And pictures are always appreciated! Maybe I just have enough child deep inside me who loves to read about places I have never been to and feel that expands my horizons. Thank you!

[Travel-or]

1 hour ago, Gray Lady said:

Joanie, please continue to write about your adventures. I so enjoy reading them. I am happy to travel vicariously with everyone who shares their cruise experiences. Zqueeze1 also keeps me very entertained. And pictures are always appreciated! Maybe I just have enough child deep inside me who loves to read about places I have never been to and feel that expands my horizons. Thank you!

Gray Lady-your DH's health curve ball is disheartening to hear. The collective power of prayer sent to your DH from all sources can work wonders... I wish him fast healing, and comfort to those who are on the journey with him. 

 

As I read your post, the sentence I bolded and italicized reminded me of short series I watched on Netflix that spoke to your comment. It's called "All The Light We Cannot See" starring Hugh Laurie. It echoes your sentiment and I hope you and your DH can watch Hugh's magic unfold together. God Bless.

[Zqueeze1]

On 12/14/2023 at 5:18 PM, Gray Lady said:

Joanie, please continue to write about your adventures. I so enjoy reading them. I am happy to travel vicariously with everyone who shares their cruise experiences. Zqueeze1 also keeps me very entertained. And pictures are always appreciated! Maybe I just have enough child deep inside me who loves to read about places I have never been to and feel that expands my horizons. Thank you!

Thanks for the plug.  It encourages me to continue our "Live From" for our cruise scheduled for 17 MAY 24, although I have been accused of excessive corniness from The Boss.

 

Z and TB

[NYC-London]

Wishing you and your husband all the best - I know exactly what you are going through, I was in a similar situation a few years back and at the time things looked very bleak but with determination and the genius minds and brains at the Mayo clinic, I am now enjoying the wonderful and spectacular Grandeur.

 

I would like to offer your husband one piece of advise that helped me tremendously - during the bad days, and sadly, yes, there will be bad days, put all your thoughts and energy into something positive that you are looking forward to when the treatment is completed. For me, that is travel and during my chemo sessions I would watch videos of great travel adventures to my bucket list places. I also kept a weekly journal and documented my progress of accomplishments and goals achieved during the previous week and during down periods when it felt that I was not getting better, I would refer back to my journal to remind me of how far I have come. I also enjoyed reading the various "live from" reports, especially from Zqueeze, Rachel and others. 

 

Remember, this is just a blip in the road and praying both you and husband will soon be able to enjoy many more cruises. 

[InsGuy3]

Gray lady,

our prayers are with you and your husband. Here’s wishing for a speedy recovery and many, many more cruises soon.

[RachelG]

Wow, that is a lot.  Thank goodness they found the aneurysm and were able to get it repaired though.  If that thing had ruptured while at sea, things would not have worked out well. Best wishes on the cancer treatment, and hope to see you onboard soon. 

[asnaleah]

Prayers are with you during this difficult time. 

[Gray Lady]

I would like to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers. I believe it has truly helped. A quick update. Hubby had 4 radiation and 2 chemo treatments. He had a very bad reaction to the chemo which resulted in a mild heart attack. He is at home gaining strength for a few weeks before resuming radiation. It has not been an easy journey so far, but he has cheated death twice in the past month. Always look at the positive! So thank you again, dear unmet cruise friends, for your help, thoughts, and prayers. Best wishes for a happy and healthy new year!!

[kjbacon]

We also send our very best wishes to you and your husband. Love your positive outlook!

[2SailingNomads]

Sending you our best.  Many of us have had health issues and recovered and some people I know never did.  I hope your husband's treatment is successful even though we have never met I will keep him in my prayers, yes they do work!!!!

[jimdee3636]

@Gray Lady

We don't know each other, but your story, although different from mine, makes me want to respond. This past February, on the very first night of a 35-night HAL cruise, I had an "out of the blue" medical event that the ship's doctor determined would require surgery. I disembarked at the first port, returned home, and got the surgery I needed. It was a success, and the first thing we did after we got the "all clear" signal from the surgeon was to book a "make up" cruise on the same ship. In fact, we booked the same cabin. It was wonderful, in some ways the best of the nearly thirty cruises we've taken.

 

I didn't have cancer, but it was serious enough. All I can say is that things are not always as dire as they seem at the time. Be brave and be optimistic, and maybe good things will happen. I predict a Mediterranean cruise for the two of you in 2025.

 

Jim.

[UUNetBill]

@Gray Lady I'm sorry to hear about your troubles.  It's a sad fact that as we age we all have to deal with these things.  I hope you both can keep your eyes on the future and that you both get to take that cruise you had to postpone.  I think having a goal is very helpful...

 

I did want to suggest joining in the Roll Call for this sailing if you haven't already.  I'm sure folks on there would be happy to post photos and stories for you both.

 

Best wishes for a speedy recovery.