tw: terminal cancer and mention of accompanying symptoms (weight loss, coughing up blood, and others)
Leon Thomas Quinn [May 7th 1994 - December 28th 2022] is Darcey’s older brother, Emi’s (and later Leo’s) father, and Sabrina’s late husband. Pictured here holding a two year old Emi in a bistro in Lisbon. She and her mother were the absolute heart and soul of Leon’s life. From the moment he laid eyes on Sabrina during freshman orientation in high school he had begun to fall for her. They thankfully had several classes together and a friendship grew between them. The following year their school was having a winter formal, he was determined to ask her in a memorable way. So he spent three months learning how to play a certain song on guitar and in the lunch room one day he serenaded her and asked her to the dance.
That song he played for her? It Had to Be You by Frank Sinatra. Unknowingly kickstarting their shared love for his music.
They continued to date all through high school and at their graduation party he surprised her with a proposal, they married in an intimate ceremony a few months later. They both attended the same university, every summer and spring break was spent taking trips across the world. After graduation they celebrated with a backpacking trip across Europe. Upon getting home Sabrina found herself feeling rather sick and tired, as well as constantly craving the pistachio cannoli that they had in Italy. Funnily enough it was Leon who finally asked “Do you think you could be pregnant?” A trip to the doctor’s later and they found out he was right.
After doing the math they realized that they must’ve conceived in France, both that and their love for Frank Sinatra is what lead them to giving Emi the middle name that she has. A tribute to their love of travel and ol’ blue eyes.
When Emi was seven months old was when they started traveling again. It was critical to them both that they instilled the wanderlust in their daughter as well. Emi cut her first tooth in Vienna, said her first word in Budapest, and took her first steps in Copenhagen. By the time she had more stamps on her passport as a toddler than the average adult.
Things were good for the Quinns, trips they loved, a beautiful daughter, and of course each other. Though as they spent Emi’s third birthday in Shanghai, Leon started to feel as if something was off. He had a cough he couldn’t shake and accompanying chest pain. He initially wrote it off as being caused by the air quality in the city, but when it continued well into their stay in Prague he began to worry. Still he had convinced himself that it would go away on it’s own. When he found his jeans continually slipping off he started to realize that there was something more seriously wrong. Still, he knew there was nothing to be done about it in the middle of another country, instead hoping it could be dealt with once he was back home…
Over breakfast in their hotel one morning he fell into a coughing fit that wouldn’t stop. Drawing the concern of Sabrina as he covered his mouth with a napkin to protect her and Emi. When he pulled it away and saw the spattering of blood on the cloth he knew that they would need to cut their trip short.
Once they returned home the first thing he did was make an appointment to see his doctor. A few weeks later he was told that he had lung cancer. Sabrina was supposed to be there with him at the appointment that day but was called in to pick up an inconsolable Emi. Looking back she wonders if the little girl knew that something was wrong. After getting the news alone the first thing Leon did was get into his car and cry the entire way home. One he parked in their driveway he forced himself to pull it together before he went inside, not wanting to unravel in front of Sabrina.
With the future uncertain, they promised one another that they would enjoy whatever time they had left, whether that be fifty days or fifty years. Eight months of chemo later and he was officially in remission. Never once in the entire time did he cry in front of his wife during the duration of his treatment.
Things were good for a while, they were planning on going back to France for their tenth wedding anniversary, but when discussing their plans for the trip’s schedule. His cough abruptly returned. Leon had a sinking feeling about it, despite Sabrina’s optimism and hoping that it was simply benign and unrelated.
Sabrina was there beside him when he was informed that his cancer had returned, and that it was terminal. He was given seven months to live. Upon hearing the news, he sobbed.
Still trying to convince herself that things would be okay, Sabrina started looking into clinical trials in other countries. Each of them offering varying amounts of borrowed time. She begged him to consider enrolling in one, but they both knew that was betting a lot on something that wasn’t guaranteed and wasting time he didn’t have. They instead resolved to hit every location on their dream destinations, a goal achieved with the help of friends and family who partially financed certain areas of the trips.
Though they cancelled their anniversary trip, instead they planned a vow renewal. It was just as intimate as their first ceremony, but some how it felt more special.
Shortly after Leon entered in home hospice care as his conditioned worsened. Towards the end he was too weak to be out of bed for long periods of time so he instead set to writing letters to Sabrina and Emi to be opened after he was gone. He wrote as many as he could, including writing letters to be read at Emi’s potential future wedding or college graduation.
Being in Sabrina’s arms and listening to her softly hum the tune of their song while Emil laid her head across his lap was all he could as for in a final moment.
Emi’s sixth birthday will be the first time that one of his letters will be opened, Sabrina is already preparing for the emotional affair that it will surely be. Though there’s a certain excitement for both her and Emi to hear from Leon again, even if it’s only on paper. They’ve been ensuring that the new baby will know about his father in every way they can. Lately Emi’s been laying her head on Sabrina’s belly and telling stories about Leon. Sabrina knows that it’s still much too early in her pregnancy for her unborn child to actually hear their sister’s voice, but the sentiment is too sweet and she doesn’t have the heart to break it to her.
Though her grief comes in waves, she feels like things are gonna be okay. At least for now.