I was so naive then. Whining while I lugged my suitcase through the airport on our way to the TSA check. All I could think about was how long and boring the flight would be. Ten hours in the company of my siblings with no escape had no appeal to me. Little did I know that this trip would change my life forever…

We landed in the Rhodes International Airport on July 10 at 7:00 at night, ready for our first authentic meal from Greece. We found that we couldn’t fight the jet lag and went to sleep in our hotel room immediately after dinner. The next morning, we scarfed down our breakfast and headed for the beach near the resort. I can’t believe we’re really here, I thought as I lay across my lounge chair while the sun beamed on me. It had been a longtime dream of my family’s to travel to Greece and spend a long time there. My dad and my younger brother, Logan, were building sand castles, their backs slowly becoming the color of my favorite strawberry lip gloss. My mother was reading The Goldfinch; she has always loved getting lost in a book in a shady area with a warm breeze. I was tanning. Thomas Rhett’s voice was flowing through my ears while I lay there on my stomach watching the tiny turquoise waves crash and retract. Lizzy slept and then grabbed us lunch. She’s always been like a second mother to Logan and I. I think she tends to be arrogant but she and Logan have a special bond, always laughing at each other’s jokes. We packed up once the sky turned gold; Greece’s cue that it’s time to get ready for dinner.

“Logan! Dad! We’re leaving! Come help mom and I pack up!” Lizzy shouted at the two silhouettes splashing in the ocean.

“Coming!” Logan responded. The two of them raced back to the umbrella and started folding towels and packing snacks.

My dad tapped me on the shoulder and shook my salty brown hair, “Layla! Get up!” He thought I was asleep, but I was taking in the scene: my loud family’s talking, the perfect coral sky, the sound of the smooth sea, the soft sand that surrounded me. We headed to the hotel to shower and change for dinner. I was humming “Die a Happy Man” by Thomas Rhett, and Logan hummed with me. Dinner was better than any of us could’ve imagined. Lizzy has always been a picky eater, but even her plate was completely clear by the end of the meal.

“For you,” said the waitress, as she brought 5 wine glasses to the table. She seemed confused when my father told her Lizzy, Logan, and I weren’t old enough to have any. We laughed about that for the rest of the night. There’s no way any other day could be this perfect, I thought as I tossed and turned, trying to fall asleep.

The next week was like living in paradise. We saw the Myth Colossus of Rhodes, the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes, the Lindos Acropolis, and we walked through the Street of the Knights. My dad has always been a history geek. Especially European history. The island was occupied by the Knights of St. John during the Crusades, so we got to see where they were during the Medieval Times. We obviously went to the beaches almost every day, trying a new one each time. Our favorite was the one we went to on the first day, Lindos Beach. As each day passed, I thought to myself, I never want to leave.

Just like any other, we spent the day at the beach. Only this time, it ended a little differently. I was tanning, this time laying on my back and listening to Luke Combs. One of Logan’s favorite songs was on, “What You See Is What You Get”. He put one of my AirPods in and grabbed a bag of Salt & Vinegar Lays Chips. When the song was over he gave it back and dove into the water. My mom was in there already.

“Hi, Quinnie,” Logan said to my mom. He always called her that as a joke because when he was little, he would call her Quinnie the Pooh.

“Hey, Logan,” she responded. She was calm, captivated by the serene horizon in front of her. My dad and Lizzy were across the beach throwing away what was left of the club sandwiches we had for lunch.

“Ouch!” my mom turned around to see Logan holding his arm. It was red and puffy.

“What happened?”

“I think a bee stung me! It kind of hurts, mom,” Logan responded, it was clear he was trying to hold his tears back. His arm started swelling up, and little dots were forming around the place where the stinger poked his skin.

“Layla! Call dad! Get my credit card out of my wallet! Hurry!” I frantically grabbed my phone and dialed my dad’s number while shuffling through my mom’s purse. She was helping Logan out of the water. I had no idea what was going on but I saw him holding his arm, and he looked weak. Why does she need her credit card?? I thought as I met her halfway in the water with her card.

“Hello?” Lizzy’s voice appeared on the other end of the line. “Why did you call dad? Hello? Layla??”

“Just come back! I think Logan’s hurt,” I hoped she would stop asking questions because I didn’t know what was happening either. My mom took her credit card and slid it across Logan’s arm. He sighed with relief.

“I think I’m fine,” he said with a calm voice but an anxious face.

“Are you sure?” I said. I had never seen him like this.

“Yeah, it’s just a bee sting. No biggie,” he waved his hand down as to brush it off.

“Logan…” I didn’t want to scare him, “I’ve been stung before… it didn’t look like that,” now his arm was covered in hives and his face looked pale. I whispered to my mom, “I think he might be having an allergic reaction.” I don’t know much about allergic reactions, but I knew he could’ve gone into anaphylactic shock if we didn’t bring him to the hospital soon. Finally Lizzy and my dad got back to the beach and started packing up our things because they knew something was wrong.

As we trudged out of the water my mom informed my dad, “James, we need to find a hospital to take Logan to. He got stung by a bee and he’s having an allergic reaction.” He nodded and gave Lizzy the key, motioning her to bring the car to the entrance of the beach. She brought 2 chairs with her. My dad and I brought everything else. My mom walked with Logan. I knew he would be fine, but it was scary nonetheless. No one wants to see their little brother in real pain.

The hospital here was better than I thought. They took Logan in almost right away and treated him. They ran tests to see if he has any other allergies we might not have known about. Logan kept saying he felt fine—he’s always been like that, reassuring and not wanting to inconvenience anyone. The nurse came back and said in her best English, “Do not worry. The bee sting did not harm him. However, the doctor wants to take a few more tests, just to be sure.” My parents nodded and gave their permission.

When she came back in, she asked my parents to step outside. The doctor was there too. Through the window in the door, I saw a tear slip out of my mother’s eye and drip off her jawline. My father looked down, up, then down again. They were holding hands. Lizzy and I exchanged a look—we both knew something else, something more severe, was wrong with Logan. He was playing a game on his phone, oblivious.

Hearing the news, I couldn’t stop the streams of tears that were forcing their way out of my eyes. Lizzy’s face went bright red; it always did that. We hugged each other and knew that we would have to be strong for our parents.

Logan was confused. He argued that he’s always been an athlete, how could this be possible? The doctor told him plenty of young people have Arrhythmia. He explained that it isn’t life-threatening for many people, so there is hope that he will be just fine, as long as he takes some precautions from here-on-out.

“You have an irregular heartbeat. That means the rhythm of your heartbeat may beat too quickly, too slowly, or just irregularly. It is only normal for your heart rate to speed up during physical activity and to slow down while resting or sleeping, but yours may be one or the other all of the time. We will just run a few more tests, and then we will know more. Okay?” The doctor, Dr. Kellis, seemed very nice and smart. I liked him. So did Logan.

Logan had to stay in the hospital overnight. I was so sad. My mom stayed with him so he wasn’t by himself, and my dad took Lizzy and I back to the hotel. It was practically impossible to fall asleep knowing how scared Logan must have felt.

When Dr. Kellis got the results for all his tests, he told my mom and Logan that his version of the condition was not harmful, as most people who have an arrhythmia are 60-80 years old. He said Logan should be fine as long as he was careful and told my parents if he had any discomfort. When my mom told my dad the news, we quickly got a fun breakfast Logan would love and brought it to the hospital for him to eat; if there’s one thing he hates, it’s hospital food.

After my parents were done discussing payment with Dr. Kellis, we went back to the hotel.

“We should stay in today, just to make sure,” my mom said, nervously looking at Logan. She knew he would try to protest.

“No way! Let’s go to the beach! I’m not gonna be the reason everyone has to stay in on vacation.” I felt so bad when he said this. He had no reason to feel guilty.

“We’ll go tomorrow, and the day after that,” my mom responded. She knew this was the best thing for him, whether he liked it or not.

The next day, we went to the beach. Logan was a little sad and still in shock about his newfound condition, but he was so happy to be back under the sun’s blanket.

The next week of our trip went perfectly. My parents closely monitored Logan’s activity, and made sure he was staying hydrated and rested after participating in draining activities. They planned on getting him an Apple Watch to monitor his heart rate and physical state once we arrived back home. Logan was excited because he always wanted one, but couldn’t afford to buy it for himself.

Our flight was on August 2, so we savored the last couple days we had left in Rhodes. I will forever be grateful for this trip. It taught me so much about my family, and Greece is as beautiful as we imagined it would be.

—

On Wednesday, July 26, 2022 at 6:32 pm, my 13 year old brother passed due to cardiac arrest. The doctor said his heart stopped pumping blood. We watched him faint as he ran into the calm, clear water. Lizzy thought he was joking; he wasn’t. My father pulled him onto the dry sand, helplessly pumping his stomach, but it was too late. Logan Lewis died during our family vacation in Rhodes, Greece, 2 months before his 14th birthday. Who knew Arrhythmia was going to be the reason my brother never got to graduate high school, go to college, or start his own family. He always said he would live to 100. Happy 14th birthday, Logan. I’ll never forget you.