Man Told to Put Wife in Nursing Home After Partial Paralysis Takes Her Around The World Instead
Twenty-seven years ago, doctors told Andy Fierlit that it would be easier to admit his wife to a nursing home and get on with his life. Partially paralyzed from a brain aneurysm, Donna Fierlit would require far too much care, they said, to live at home with her family or experience much beyond the ordinary.
Andy, then 46, listened carefully to the experts and decided to take the “care” part of their advice to heart. “For better or worse,” was what he’d recited in his wedding vows, and “for better or worse” was exactly how he intended to make do.
Instead of touring care centers, the Connecticut father of four booked a cruise for two to Bermuda, packed suitcases for himself and Donna and never looked back. In nearly three decades, the Fierlits have now visited all seven continents — more than 20 countries in all — and are now saving up for a Scandinavian vacation later this year.
“Sure, it’s a challenge, but I’ve loved Donna from the day I met her and can’t imagine doing anything else,” Andy, a retired Knights of Columbus employee from North Haven, tells PEOPLE. “From that first trip, I’ve always said, ‘Why not?’ The worst that can happen is that it turns into a nightmare.”
Although there are often problems maneuvering now-73-year-old Donna’s wheelchair in countries with less accessibility for the disabled, traveling the world with his wife has been a dream for the most part, he says.
