My Dad died yesterday after battling cancer for 4 years...

[PrincessHeather'sMom]

Needless to say I am heart broken. My Mother even more so, of course.
My DD, who was extremely close to my Dad, is not taking this well either. This is the first death she has ever experienced, and the first so close to home for me. I'm sitting here alone now for the first time since Friday night when he was rushed to the hospital. It's quiet and I'm doing so much thinking. What to do and how to handle my DD. I'm trying to make her live life as normal. It's Homecoming week and it's been hard for her. I think she will go to her dance. I'm not sure. She's with my Mom now - supporting each other. I needed to come home to take care of things. I don't know whether we should go ahead with our trip in two weeks or not . . . I think I will play it by ear and ask DD how she feels about it. Luckily I bought insurance, so I think Disney will refund some of it if we decide not to go. So much to think of. So much to do. Thanks for 'listening'. I needed someone to listen and I know all of you are out there 'listening'.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

So sorry for your loss.

Prayers for Gods peace and comfort in the days ahead.

 

[KapBoy77]

Sincere condolences.

 

[SkipperJ]

I'm very sorry for your loss, your family will be in my prayers.

As for rescheduling the trip, I had to reschedule a trip of mine last month because my mother had emergency surgery. I didn't have insurance, and they were still more than accomodating with me changing my reservations. It may be different if the trip is cancelled outright though.

 

[SkipperJ]

Deleted

 

[ForAandA]

I am so sorry for your loss.

 

[lightmoonstone]

You and yours will be in our prayers. I am sorry for your loss.

 

[AngieMouse86]

I am so sorry for your loss. I'll keep you & your family in my prayers.

 

[mskayjay]

I am so sorry for your loss. Losing a Dad is awful....

As far as the trip and your daughter, honestly, what would Daddy tell you to do? All of the services and such will be over by then and you will be in this dreadful lull....I've been there.....what would he tell you to do? Stay home and dwell or go to the place that he knows makes you and your daughter smile at a time when you really need to? I normally would say reschedule but somehow tonight I feel compelled to tell you to go.

God bless honey....

 

[PrincessHeather'sMom]

I am so sorry for your loss. Losing a Dad is awful....

As far as the trip and your daughter, honestly, what would Daddy tell you to do? All of the services and such will be over by then and you will be in this dreadful lull....I've been there.....what would he tell you to do? Stay home and dwell or go to the place that he knows makes you and your daughter smile at a time when you really need to? I normally would say reschedule but somehow tonight I feel compelled to tell you to go.

God bless honey....

I was thinking about this last night. He took my Mom, me and DD to our first trip to Disney World in 1999. Thus began our Disney addiction. Going through pictures for the service on Monday nite, we found pictures of him goofing around at WDW that we will be sharing with the visitors when they come Mon. nite. We were all so happy. He was so happy. DD seems to be doing well right now. Her Homecoming dance is tonight and she plans to go. Monday night on the other hand will be hard. But overall, I do believe we will be going. I think he would want that - In fact, I'm pretty sure he would insist on it.
Thank you to all of you for your thoughts and prayers. It really does help.

 

[mommasita]

I'm so terribly sorry for your loss...

Thinking of you and your family...
I hate to give advice at times like this, so I am just going to go with what I would do.. I "think" I would still go on the trip, and make a go of it. It will be hard, for sure, but probably (for me) easier than being at home...

 

[Disney Enabler]

Sorry for your loss.

The imprint that our loved ones leave us with are our memories of time we spent together. Going to a place where some of those happy times happened can be a wonderful reminder of those memories. Hopefully there will be smiles and laughter mixed with the tears. If you go on your trip now or put it off a bit, I know you will have a good time and your Dad will be with you in your heart.

Pixie Dust for you, your daughter, your Mom and all others who will miss your Dad.

Carol
It's a great day to be alive!!!

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

I'm sorry to hear about your dad.

When my dad died, we went to DisneyWorld 5 weeks after. It was a pre-planned trip, and it made me feel better to go.

 

[Disney Gnome]

I am so sorry for your loss and I can relate in a very personal way. After 7 months of taking care of my father who had a brain tumor, he passed away at the end of July. My sister, her boyfriend, my daughter, my husband and myself took care of Dad 24 hours a day during his illness. During this illness, my brother passed away suddenly and we still don't know what happened.

After the funerals, we were all so depressed and did not feel like celebrating anything. Just being around each other seemed to cause more grief as the weight of each other's grief seemed overwhelming. I decided that my family needed a clean break from the past and convinced everyone to go on a Disney Cruise together. We celebrated all of the birthdays and anniversaries that we had missed in the seven months of caring for Dad and the cruise gave us a reason to spend time together that was positive. Maybe it wasn't the best trip ever as grief was ever present but I believe it was the beginning of healing. I hope that you decide to go on your trip and that it helps you to begin the healing process. Sometimes, we need an excuse to be happy.

 

[ctl]

I cannot imagine your sadness. When I lost my Grandma, she was closer to me than my Mom. Her death was very unexpected and it took me almost 4 months just to get over the overwhelming sadness and begin to function again. Although your Dad was ill for 4 years, you can never be prepared for the time when they actually leave us. I think your Dad would want you to be happy. If you choose to go on your WDW vacation you could use it as a chance to celebrate his life and the happiness you shared through the years. Hugs and prayers.

 

[SeptemberGirl]

I am so sorry for your loss. I lost my mom this Friday, the 21st. My DD is only 8, but I too worry about her.

How are you all doing today?

 

[PrincessHeather'sMom]

I am so sorry for your loss. I lost my mom this Friday, the 21st. My DD is only 8, but I too worry about her.

How are you all doing today?

My heart goes out to you. I truly understand how you and yours are feeling right now.
My Mother and I are back to work today, and DD is back to school. I haven't heard anything from her or the school, so hopefully all is going well. Monday night was the hardest, as it was the funeral. DD cried all evening and almost all night. I held her in her bed and let her cry. She is/was "Papa's Girl" so she's taking it pretty hard. I know with time it won't hurt so much, but right now it is really hard. We have decided to go ahead and go on our trip next week. We feel he would have wanted us to go. He took us on our first trip ever to Disney World. It will be hard and fun at the same time.
Again, I'm sorry for your loss. Just hang on to those good memories. It's good to know there are so many caring people out there too.

 

[ToddyLu]

One of two best friends lost her Mom yesterday to Alzheimer's. She was only 66.

In 2005 DH and I lost the contents of our home in Katrina, his parents lost their home and his father lost a 2 year battle the Cancer 5 weeks later. DH is a fireman for our city and Lord knows what that was like for him after that Hurricane. We had planned a trip to Disney and had insurance. Katrina was 8/29, Pop passed 10/4, our 11th anniversary was the day of his funeral, and Disney was 12/5.

We went to Disney...just the two of us. I needed it but he really needed the break from reality. That will always be one of my all time favorite trips. It just seemed that people were nicer (Christmas Spirit maybe). We were both more quiet and reflective on that trip but the consistency and familiarity of Disney was a big plus. We met people on the buses who had volunteered in our communities and we had a chance to tell them how much that meant. I was still feeling pretty low, so we went to see Osborne Lights for the first time.

For some reason we got there early and waited for about 45 minutes, watching the crowd gather....when they turned on those lights...I mean I knew it was going to be a lotta lights...but it was fantastic...I lost it and poor DH just had to stand there and hug me for a while. So it was a healing moment for me (I think DH enjoyed seeing me enjoying it) and we came back from the trip a little lighter and refreshed so we could get to work on getting back to normal.

I wish that for you and your family. That being in a place of Happiness will bring you peace.

 

[SeptemberGirl]

My heart goes out to you. I truly understand how you and yours are feeling right now.
My Mother and I are back to work today, and DD is back to school. I haven't heard anything from her or the school, so hopefully all is going well. Monday night was the hardest, as it was the funeral. DD cried all evening and almost all night. I held her in her bed and let her cry. She is/was "Papa's Girl" so she's taking it pretty hard. I know with time it won't hurt so much, but right now it is really hard. We have decided to go ahead and go on our trip next week. We feel he would have wanted us to go. He took us on our first trip ever to Disney World. It will be hard and fun at the same time.
Again, I'm sorry for your loss. Just hang on to those good memories. It's good to know there are so many caring people out there too.

Our funeral was Monday, too. I hid at home the last two days. A friend flew in from Texas to be here with me, so I stayed home. Tuesday was bad. Today was better. I went to a restaurant that my parents liked and ate my mom's favorite soup and as it was coming out, her and my dad's "song" came on. A song you never hear! It felt good.

I definitely think you should go. Disney is healing. Really.

My mom always said that when you lose a parent, you should go on a trip and buy yourself a piece of jewelry. I coincidentally have a trip planned to Universal (first time there) in 2 weeks - I see it as a blessing. The jewelry - well, I think that will be on hold for a while - I'll just wear a piece of hers.

It's really good that your daughter is expressing her emotions. I worry about my little 8 yr old, so much harder to say it at that age, in a way.

Kind people help A LOT.

One of two best friends lost her Mom yesterday to Alzheimer's. She was only 66.

In 2005 DH and I lost the contents of our home in Katrina, his parents lost their home and his father lost a 2 year battle the Cancer 5 weeks later. DH is a fireman for our city and Lord knows what that was like for him after that Hurricane. We had planned a trip to Disney and had insurance. Katrina was 8/29, Pop passed 10/4, our 11th anniversary was the day of his funeral, and Disney was 12/5.

We went to Disney...just the two of us. I needed it but he really needed the break from reality. That will always be one of my all time favorite trips. It just seemed that people were nicer (Christmas Spirit maybe). We were both more quiet and reflective on that trip but the consistency and familiarity of Disney was a big plus. We met people on the buses who had volunteered in our communities and we had a chance to tell them how much that meant. I was still feeling pretty low, so we went to see Osborne Lights for the first time.

For some reason we got there early and waited for about 45 minutes, watching the crowd gather....when they turned on those lights...I mean I knew it was going to be a lotta lights...but it was fantastic...I lost it and poor DH just had to stand there and hug me for a while. So it was a healing moment for me (I think DH enjoyed seeing me enjoying it) and we came back from the trip a little lighter and refreshed so we could get to work on getting back to normal.

I wish that for you and your family. That being in a place of Happiness will bring you peace.

I cannot imagine living through Katrina. And then the rest. So much loss for you then. Oh, my heart aches. I'm So glad you went on your trip that year and that it was good. I really truly think we bond over huge things like that - I live in NJ and my town was very affected by 9/11. 9 months later I found myself in an airport telling my story and crying and praying with a woman from Ohio. I've never forgotten her or her heart for my town, area, people.

There is goodness out there. Even in painful times.

 

[mommasita]

Just wondering how you are doing, and thinking of everyone in this thread.