Coming in Saturday, but Grandfather just died

[Tiger926]

My grandfather just unexpectedly passed away tonight after suffering both a stroke and heart attack yesterday. I was called to the hospital by my mom, a few hours before he passed, and was able to spend time with him. He reacted in a positive way to seeing me - was paralyzed and couldn't speak or do anything else, but his levels improved once he heard my voice. So glad I could spend some time with him...

We are starting to feel jinxed though as we have had lots of emergencies happen while away - several deaths just days or the day we leave, daughter was seriously ill and hospitalized on 1st trip home, and several babies born prematurely while away. I have been very stressed as my other grandma suffered a minor stroke last week as well, and my aunt (only in her 40s) is struggling big time with cancer. They are both in very sensitive medical situations at the moment.

We love Disney, but we are starting to feel nervous and anxious each time a trip comes around now. Anyone else feel this way, and how do you handle it? I am a a trained Spec. Ed. teacher in crisis intervention, and everyone jokes I can handle World War 3, but it's getting harder and harder to not get anxious before a trip anymore...

We will be arriving a bit later on Saturday, but our trip will not be postponed as my grandfather was a snowbird who loved Florida, so we will make good memories for him!

Tiger

[bumbershoot]

[disneynutz]

Sorry to read about your loss.

[Dizny Dad]

Our prays go to you and your family for your loss.

The events of our lives happen no matter where we are. Keep your appointed events. You can always come home at the drop of a hat.

You must either be busy living or busy dying.

[Mrs. T-i-double-g-er]

Maybe your Disney trips are there to help you have some happiness at these times.

[dopeygirl76]

I agree with MRS. above!!!

Our jinx began in Jan 07 and I thought 2008 would be better - well let's just say I stopped saying "there is nothing worse that could happen". Although in the beginning I had anxiety attacks about leaving home but after some good advice I realized that our vacations and time as a family are VERY precious and we grew stronger as a family through each event. I appreciate life a lot more now and try to never take one second for granted, I also look at vacation as memories for my girls (and us to) that will live forever even after we are gone!

I hope this helps and as a fellow helping professional (I'm a social worker) we are fabulous at crisis but the unexpected is the problem - waiting for the next crisis!!!

to you and your family!!!

[Tiger926]

We have set the arrangements, so we'll be arriving only a few hours late, which is not a big deal at all. We would have absolutely delayed our trip, but it was important to my mom, in memory of Grandpa who adored Florida, that we be arriving on our scheduled day.

Thanks everyone.

Tiger

[bobbiwoz]

For your family.

[ShuisFan584]

I don't know if you ever read my trip report just a couple weeks ago, but we actually had to end our last trip early. We were supposed to arrive on a Thursday and come home 9 days later on the following Friday. But on the second day we were there, we learned that my grandfather had passed away. Obviously, my grandmother couldn't push off the wake/funeral until we got home the following Saturday (pushing it off over a week), so the only thing we could do was cancel and leave early. My grandmother didn't want us to completely lose our vacation so she asked us to stay at least until the wake which was the following Tuesday.

After thinking about it, I remembered that during our previous Disney trip, our friend who was there with us, lost her grandfather on our third to last day. That freaked me out a little knowing that two grandfathers were lost on my past two Disney trips. So it does make me a little nervous thinking that something might go wrong on my next trip in August. So you're not alone in feeling that way.

On another note, I definitely think you made the right decision to go ahead with the trip. My other grandfather (who I lost just months prior to this one) passed away a week before my trip to Vegas. I wanted to cancel it, but my grandmother basically wouldn't let me. She said that life has to go on, and my grandfather would be very disappointed in me if I would have canceled because of him. She said he would have wanted me to go and enjoy myself and try to take my mind off of things.

[christa112]

Very sorry for your loss. I have lost both of my grandparents in the last 5 years. This FL trip will always be special in your heart because he was a snowbird and you can remember him that way.

[DiznyDi]

So very sorry for your loss.

[DisneyStarWisher]

I'm so sorry about the loss of your grandfather. Sometimes it seems that the timing of things in life is so off, but I believe everything happens when it does for a reason. But I totally know where you're coming from when you talk about the anxiety of a trip.

Last year, we were supposed to go to WDW in June. In May my grandfather was hospitalized unexpectantly, and we discovered he had a very rare brain disease (1 in a million chance) that had no cure. We decided we didn't want to chance being in Disney when he died. He was scheduled to have the feeding tube taken out on June 23--the first scheduled day of our trip. He finally died on July 9, so it wouldn't have happened on our trip, but we would have thought about it the whole time. We rescheduled the trip for October.

In October, we were all ready for the trip. Then my mother-in-law found out she had to have a knee replacement. She was in so much pain that she couldn't put it off. She is not in very good health so there was extra risk involved. She scheduled it for the day before we were to leave. Yikes! I was like "Here we go again." But she talked us into going on our trip because she was going to be in a rehabilitation facility for the week after the surgery and she said she would need us more once she got home. We ended up going on that trip, and everything went fine.

This year--We are scheduled to leave for HHI on Monday. I've been thinking "What's going to happen this trip?" So I know what you mean about feeling that way. Well, my father-in-law found out he had to have open heart surgery to replace a leaking valve. He had it last month though and has recovered well. I'm thinking everything's going to be ok, we'll be able to take the trip. Well, I shouldn't have gotten my hope's up because yesterday I found out that he has to have prostate surgery ASAP. He was released from his heart doctor so he's free to have the prostate surgery now. They schedule the surgery today. So I won't know until later today whether we will get to go or not.

I'm starting to learn not to get excited for the trip until I'm actually on it. But I totally believe that everything happens for a reason. If something happens to prevent my vacation, then it was meant to be that I not be traveling at that time. God always knows best!

I definitely think you should continue your trip as planned and have fun! As far as future trips, just don't think of it as a jinx; just think of it as it something that is meant to be. My prayers are with you and your family.

[GGOOFY1]

Sorry for your loss. Pick something special to do on your trip in memory of your grandfather

[Rose&Mike]

So sorry for your loss. Best wishes for your aunt and grandmother and their recovery.

[Boardwalker]

Add my sympathies as well.
For those of you who are worried that something bad will happen while you are away, try not to let feelings of anxiety overwhelm your feelings of joy about your vacation. Time is beyond our control. Your fun can not result someone else's tragedy.
For those of you feeling guilty about enjoying your vacation after someone has passed, grief finds its own time. Take time to enjoy the people with you, honor and celebrate life.