By Rusty Pickett
MCC, ECC

As we all know, our business can have some very unexpected challenges and rewards — after all, we are the creators and enablers of dreams. Here is my story, written with the family’s blessing to tell it, for which I am grateful.
In early October, I received a call from a client who was booked on a cruise with some friends in 2007. She was a new client. She stated that her 47-year-old daughter, diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, had just been placed in hospice care, as there was little else that the medical community could do.
Her mother stated that the daughter had always wanted to go to Hawaii, and asked for my advice. In the process of qualification, I found out that she also had wanted to go on a cruise. The solution was obvious but the timing was critical. The daughter’s doctor had categorically stated that she was capable of travel, but that her condition would not improve. For me, the obvious challenge was finding the right space on Norwegian Cruise Line two weeks in the future. Space was available and a balcony was booked.
Not knowing what to expect or what I thought was even appropriate, I E-mailed my NCL DSM, Linda, explained the situation and asked what we — together — could do to make this voyage literally “once in a lifetime”.
Several days later, Linda E-mailed me back saying NCL had upgraded the family to one of the ship’s top suites — no questions asked. I was humbled and appreciative to say the least. I immediately called the mother. She was emotional and very grateful, fully understanding that this would be her daughter’s last trip. She had never seen her daughter so happy and excited — able to fulfill two of her dreams at the same time.
The cruise week came and went. Although I usually try to call clients within a day or two of returning from a voyage, I was in Europe on a cruise. I sent an E-mail from on-board instead. After some days, I received a response, which was personally overwhelming.
Everything was perfect on the trip out from Washington, DC to the ship in Honolulu. The first three days of the cruise were exceptional — everything that they both had hoped it would be. During the afternoon of the fourth day, the daughter took a turn for the worse — almost instantaneously and unexplained. The daughter spent the rest of the cruise in their cabin, clearly not doing well. With the thoughtful help of NCL and the airlines, the two travelers flew from Honolulu to their connection in San Francisco, where they were met by a son, who assisted in the flight back to Dulles. They arrived home on Sunday afternoon, and on Monday afternoon, the daughter died.
I was disturbed by the story, but there were many silver linings. The mother and I both agree that the sheer anticipation of the cruise adventure gave her daughter enough strength to stay alive long enough to fulfill her dream. As they were upgraded to a suite, they had a butler who waited on them hand and foot during the last days of the cruise. This person will be forever remembered by the family for making the daughter’s last few days of life something special.
The mother stated that if she had it to do all over again, she would change nothing. The utter joy of seeing her daughter’s happiness in getting her dream fulfilled superseded the unimaginable loss of her child.
Throughout life, all of us like to think we can make a difference and strive to do so. Every once in a while, we can. I am proud to be part of an industry that cares. NCL didn’t have to do what they did for this family....but they did.
Life is about dreams, and dreams are meant to be fulfilled. Thanks to the cruise industry team that made this bittersweet dream come true.

Russell (Rusty) Pickett is a retired career Naval officer. He has a BS from Yale University and an MBA from Charleston Southern University. As a home based agent, he founded Shellback Cruises, a cruise-oriented agency based in Charleston, SC, in 1999.