"My father has always been a sociable person who loves nothing better than chatting with relatives, friends, and ex-colleagues. So it seemed like a fun idea to throw him a surprise party for his milestone 90th birthday at a cricket club in the English town where I grew up. Our intention was "go big or go home," and my sister, Alison, and I asked dozens of people to join the celebration."
"The party was organized with military precision Mom was also kept in the dark because we wanted it to be a surprise for her, too. The guest list grew by the day as we contacted people from every part of Dad's life, including his sister-in-law, cousin, nieces, nephews, and neighbors. Most of the attendees were journalists who'd worked with him during his seven decades in print. We imagined his delight when he met them again."
"Then, two weeks before the party, Dad had a cardiac arrest. He'd shown signs of slowing down over the previous few months, but it was a terrible shock. Thankfully, the heart attack was relatively mild - but it was enough to keep him in the hospital, followed by a rehab facility for the next seven days. Mom and Ali stayed at his bedside, while I made concerned calls from t"
A surprise 90th birthday party was planned at the local cricket club with a newspaper theme reflecting Dad's career as editor in chief. Invitations used a typewriter-style font and the celebration included bunting, a framed welcome poster, table runners, and a cake styled as the paper's front page. Two weeks before the event Dad suffered a cardiac arrest and spent time in hospital and a rehab facility. After consulting with him and his medical team, the family went ahead with the celebration, which reunited former colleagues and family and brought him great joy.
Read at Business Insider
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]