Of course, Laura’s passing was a crushing blow for me, our grown sons, and the hundreds of family members and friends who loved this beautiful and remarkable woman whose ever-present smile could light up a room. But—as I will tell anyone who will listen—the six years leading up to that tragic day were among the best in a storybook 34-year marriage and 40-year friendship. And, without question, our journeys helped make those years so magical.

During those years, our journeys ran the gamut from long weekends in the Berkshires, Litchfield County, Quebec City, Manhattan, Long Beach Island and Atlantic City; to 7-14-day cruises that took us to various ports throughout the Caribbean and Mediterranean Seas, through the Panama Canal, and in Alaska; to two weeks across four Hawaiian islands; to week-long getaways to timeshares in Spain, Aruba, Florida, Arizona and the California desert; to 10 days split between a resort on the Mexican Riviera and a drive up the California Coast; and to the ultimate ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ vacation on our 33rd anniversary: a 10-night cruise through the French Polynesian islands, followed by four nights in an over-water bungalow on Tahiti. For the most part, these were romantic trips for just the two of us, but in other cases we traveled with our grown sons and their girls, other family members and good friends. Remarkably, during those six years, only two trips had to be cancelled due to Laura’s illness.

No matter what the duration, these travels gave Laura—who was also dealing with a mild case of multiple sclerosis that was diagnosed in 2001—and me something to look forward to. They provided a vital psychological lift from the day-to-day issues associated with her diseases. Laura came back refreshed and ready to tackle the next treatment. Beyond the joys experienced while on these trips, we both also reveled in the preparation—me, in booking the trips and trying to get the best deals, and Laura, in planning our day-time excursions in different ports. Apart from these obvious benefits, the trips brought us even closer as a couple, as we lived out the dreams of empty-nesters.

Integral to the planning that went behind our journeys was the encouragement and support we got from Laura’s oncologist, Dr. Gabriel Sara, a truly extraordinary physician and human being who is now Executive Director, Patient Services Initiative of Continuum Health Partners and Medical Director of the Infusion Suite at St. Lukes-Roosevelt. Without ever once jeopardizing Laura’s health, Dr. Sara and the staff at his private practice and, later, in the Roosevelt Infusion Suite, worked closely with us to plan our travel dates around the treatments. As the doctor joked during his eulogy at Laura’s funeral: ‘At times, I felt like a travel agent.’

Dr. Sara’s encouragement to travel represented a carry-over from the advice we received from the physician who referred us to him when Laura was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer in 2002: neurologist Dr. Saud Sadiq. Dr. Sadiq—another extraordinary physician and human being with strong ties to St. Lukes-Roosevelt—began treating Laura for her MS in 2001. With her disease well under control after a few months under his care, he was fully supportive of our plans to take our first Caribbean cruise in December of that year. And just like Dr. Sara, he enjoyed hearing about our trips and learning about our future travel plans.

My foremost objective in establishing ‘Laura’s Journeys’ was to encourage other cancer patients and their significant others to reap the rich rewards that weekend getaways or more extensive trips can bring. While every patient’s disease and treatment plan is different, the underlying message is: Yes, you can and should make the effort to get away.