I am travelling the world to carry out my late husband’s bucket list
A 22-year-old widow travels the world alone to help fulfill her late husband’s bucket list.
The bereaved Isobel Barnes, of Nottingham, vowed to travel in his honour, as it was something they both enjoyed doing.
Luke Barnes passed away earlier this year at just 34 years old after being diagnosed with heart muscle disease in 2019 and dying of multiple organ failure while awaiting a transplant.
Isobel, an emergency medical officer, hopes to see the world for a few months before returning to “real life.”
She even sold her house and booked a ticket to Australia.
Next of kin Isobel Barnes, from Nottingham, travels the world solo to help carry out her late husband’s bucket list
And she said, ‘It doesn’t matter who I’m surrounded by, I’m grieving and I’m sad.
‘But I’d much rather do that on the beach than in Nottingham.
‘[Luke would] wants me to live and have the best life – and I want to do it for him too.
“Sometimes you feel guilty for not crying at certain times, but grief is complex and you can’t live your life like that.
‘I booked a one-way ticket because I didn’t know how I would feel. I have no idea what I’m going to do yet, but so far so good. I’m at peace with the journey.’
Luke – who used to be an IT service desk manager – was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy four years ago after being tested for a dislocated shoulder.
After routine biannual MRI scans, his health began to deteriorate.
And finally, in March 2022, he was listed for a heart transplant.
She vowed to travel in honor of her husband Luke Barnes (right), as it was something they both loved to do
Isobel, an emergency medical worker pictured on the beach in Austrlia, hopes to see the world for a few months before returning to ‘real life’
But Luke’s health continued to deteriorate and he was kept in hospital on a permanent basis in November 2022 while he waited for a fitting heart.
Luke was fitted with a BiVAD (biventricular assist device) in December to keep blood flowing through his heart.
After two times when a matching heart was no longer suitable, Luke passed away peacefully after a catastrophic hemorrhage and multiple organ failure due to excessive bleeding from a BiVAD failure on March 17, 2023.
Knowing how much Luke loved to travel, Isobel decided to take the plunge after his death – and booked a ticket.
She said: “Luke used to document his health journey on Instagram and he talked about travel on one of his posts. He wanted to see the world and make the most of it.
Luke died earlier this year aged just 34 after he was diagnosed with heart muscle disease in 2019 and died of multiple organ failure while awaiting a transplant
Luke – who used to be an IT service desk manager – was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy four years ago after being tested for a dislocated shoulder
Knowing how much Luke loved to travel, Isobel decided to take the plunge after his death – and booked a ticket
After routine biannual MRI scans, his health began to deteriorate. And finally, in March 2022, he was listed for a heart transplant
Luke and Isobel tied the knot at the end of June 2022, just over a year after they met at work
Isobel also hopes to change the conversation about grief and organ donation, saying sharing his story has encouraged others to donate their blood
Luke died peacefully after a catastrophic hemorrhage and multiple organ failure due to excessive bleeding from a BiVAD failure on March 17, 2023
“Luke and I had made the decision to sell the house anyway because we had no income between us financially and selling the house freed up some money, which I now use as my safety net.”
Luke and Isobel tied the knot at the end of June 2022, just over a year after meeting at work.
Isobel is approaching their one year anniversary and has plans to celebrate in Bali.
She said, “All I have to do is lay down, get a sunburn and drink a cocktail and I think we would have done that together, so why not do it?”
Isobel hopes to explore much of Thailand and Southeast Asia before heading home briefly in August.
She said: ‘The latest I can come home is mid-August, so then reality will hit again, but I think once I get things sorted out at home I might come back again for Christmas.
“I also want to go to the east coast of Australia because I connected with many transplant survivors on a Facebook page and we bonded over this journey we went on.
“It would be great to meet them in person.”
Isobel also hopes to change the conversation about grief and organ donation, saying sharing his story has encouraged others to donate their blood.
She said, “Of course, all I want to do for the rest of my life is make my husband proud.
“There have been days when I thought: this is pointless.”
“But I just know there would be days when he would look down on me and say, ‘That’s my girl living her best life.’
“I want to change talking about grief. It affects everyone and the same goes for organ donations.
“So many people pull up their faces when you talk about donating organs and eventually Luke died because not enough people donate their organs.
“That’s one of the things that was really hard, because none of his organs were working when he died, he couldn’t donate one.
“But by sharing his story on social media, so many people have said they are donating their blood now or plan to donate their organs one day.”