Finn’s final – When Finn was told in February 2022 that he had peritoneal cancer and likely had a year left, his family tried to plan for the worst—only to find themselves chasing the kind of spontaneous, imperfect travel that can’t be scheduled. Across six trips over nine m
In February 2022, Finn was given a year to live.
He had peritoneal cancer, a rare type that affects the abdominal lining. The cancer was everywhere and incurable, but the doctors told the family it likely wouldn’t cause significant pain until near the end. That medical timeline didn’t just change their plans. It changed the pace of their days.
Over a Scotch, Finn’s family asked what he wanted most. He didn’t ask for quiet comforts or a tidy checklist. He wanted to travel—people he wished to see, places he longed to visit. The request landed with the force of something long postponed. Somehow, the writer felt it as a duty to make those final wishes real.
Finn had always been the adventurous type. After retiring, he moved to a farm in rural Denmark, but his history was full of detours. He’d moved to California in the early ’70s without knowing anyone there. In the ’80s, he traveled through the Soviet Union. In the 2000s, he brought his family on vacation to Uganda and Kenya. Knowing he had only a year left pulled that restless energy back to the surface—turning the question of “can we?” into “how soon?” and “how many?”.
At first, traveling together felt almost daunting. Chemotherapy had already begun taking a toll on Finn. and they wanted to be sure he’d have access to reliable care if his health took a turn for the worse. There was also the practical math of being a family under strain: the writer’s husband and the writer would both have to take a mix of paid and unpaid leave and use every holiday weekend they could to make it work. Still, every decision carried a quiet intensity, shaped by the diagnosis they couldn’t soften.
A few months later, they took the leap and embarked on their first big trip: Seville, Spain.
In Seville. they wandered the streets and watched sand-colored buildings. decorative arches. and lush plant life in courtyards unfold at walking speed. Finn was struck quickly—not by landmarks, but by the sensory life of the city. He noticed the smells, the vibrancy of the streets, and the sound of parakeets flying overhead. On home soil, the family had seen him adapt into something more withdrawn. In Spain, he seemed different. He wanted to experience everything he could.
That drive also met the reality of language barriers. In a sherry bar where none of the staff spoke English, Finn decided he wanted a cup of tea. He couldn’t rely on words, so his solution was song and dance—complete with a mime demonstrating a teapot. The writer said she was acutely embarrassed at the time. Later, the memory settled into something warmer: an image of Finn refusing to let a problem shrink his day.
By the end of the trip, he wanted to know where they would head next. His ability to cope with cancer treatment seemed to hinge on having fixed plans ahead. The family sensed the danger in that, too. The writer worried Finn might need more rest than he was allowing himself to take.
As Finn’s health declined, they learned to travel differently.
That fall, they went to the Orkney Islands, an archipelago off the coast of Scotland. By then, Finn’s mobility and energy levels were noticeably lower than they had been in Spain. The writer even had to veto an extended tour of St. Magnus Cathedral, a structure Finn had been deeply moved by.
They adjusted without turning it into a tragedy. Their days began to revolve around slow breakfasts together and short walks that kept Finn connected to nature rather than drained by sightseeing. Finn skipped a tour of a whiskey distillery. but he still managed to explore the magnificent sea cliffs—something that surprised the writer.
Over nine months, they took six trips. Throughout the travels, friends reached out with well-intentioned concerns about exploring the world with Finn. But to the family. it sometimes felt like they were only just hitting their stride. as if the countdown had forced them to start living at full volume.
They couldn’t ignore the gravity of the situation, though. The doctors’ predicted time scale proved spot-on.
They took their final trip together to Scotland at the end of 2022. Finn blamed his lethargy and nausea on food and drink. But it was becoming clear to the writer that this was the end of their travels.
In the months that followed, Finn continued to hold onto the story of those journeys from his hospital bed. He told relatives and friends about their adventures, recommending the best views in Orkney and must-visit restaurants in Poland.
A few months after their last trip, Finn passed away.
At his funeral. people the writer hardly knew told her how inspired they were by Finn’s enduring thirst for life and new experiences. The writer admitted she felt the same. Finn, she said, taught her how to work through challenges and find positivity even in the toughest of times. She learned not to wait for the “momentous occasion”—not for a big birthday or anniversary—because spontaneous. imperfect experiences could be more meaningful than any planned milestone.
Just as important, their travels created a bond among the writer’s husband, his dad, and the writer—one she says she still feels privileged to have experienced.
Finn peritoneal cancer year to live Seville Orkney Islands Scotland chemotherapy family travel Denmark California Uganda Kenya Poland St. Magnus Cathedral