The Stroke That Made Us Move to Albania

On October 26, 2025, my husband Moe had a stroke at 49. Three months later, we sold everything and moved to Vlorë, Albania. This is how that happened.

The morning everything changed

We had gone to church that Sunday morning and then out for breakfast. When we got home, we started deep cleaning the laundry room. Baseboards, shelves, the kind of weekend project that feels productive.

Moe started to seem off. Not in an obvious way. Just off.

I kept asking if he was okay and he kept saying yes. But then he got confused. He wasn't sure what task he was supposed to be doing next. He was speaking fine, complete sentences, but the words weren't making sense in the context of our conversation.

I gave him electrolytes. I checked his blood pressure. I worried it might be his blood sugar so I fed him. He went to rest in the chair and fell asleep. Later he told me he hadn't fallen asleep. He had passed out.

When he woke up, he told me he didn't feel well.

That was the red flag. For Moe to admit he didn't feel well, something was very wrong.

I called the VA nurse. She told me to put him in the car and take him to the ER now. He didn't want to go. I insisted.

It was a 10-minute drive. On the way, we saw a man hit a woman and knock her off her bike. We called 911. By the time we got to the ER, Moe had already forgotten that we had witnessed it.

In the ER

While we sat waiting, he started drooling. By the time they did triage, he had no short-term memory. A few minutes later, he couldn't speak.

Several hours later, he could think of the words, but he couldn't say them.

He was admitted to the hospital. The next morning, he could say the words, but they came out delayed, with speech disfluency. He had trouble recalling things. They asked him to name three things that tell time, and he could only name two. They asked him to recite the twelve months of the year. He knew the months. He just couldn't get them out.

He was released later that day.

The weeks that followed

For weeks after, Moe suffered from dizziness and fell several times. He couldn't work. He took FMLA for three weeks while the VA did nothing to help us figure out what had happened or what to do next.

So we sought alternative care. Some weeks we had ten doctor appointments. Moe couldn't drive. He was unbalanced. He had huge memory gaps and some personality changes. I drove him to every appointment.

We spent thousands of dollars on his care. Totally worth it. I would have given every penny we had.

I had been running for Jacksonville City Council when this happened. That got put on the back burner. Eventually I withdrew from the race entirely.

Being a full-time caregiver was harder than I ever imagined. I don't think I was built for it. I'm great in a crisis. I can come in, fix things, bust some heads, and be done. The long-term care part is something Moe would have been better at than I ever was.

It was a struggle. He wanted to be independent and I wanted him to be. But every second I was watching him. Listening to his breath. Did he take his supplements. Is he steady. Does he know there's a step there. Is he eating enough protein. Is he just eating enough.

The stroke affected his appetite. He had to force himself to eat because he no longer felt hungry.

The cruise that changed everything

In January, we had a cruise planned. By that point, Moe had improved enough that I was only mildly anxious about going.

Thank God we went.

On that cruise, Moe met a man who started this whole adventure. Before we were off the ship, we were talking about what moving to Portugal would mean. That was where the guy had moved. He was paying $500 a month for an apartment on the beach.

A few weeks later, because of red tape with the Portugal visa process, we chose Albania instead. It was beautiful. Just north of Greece. Affordable living. We wanted to move to Europe because it offered more travel options, felt safer, and had no lizards (a hill I will die on).

86 days, six suitcases

We sold everything.

Multiple garage sales. Facebook Marketplace. Consignment stores. We only kept what fit inside six suitcases. Mostly clothes and a few sentimental items. Just a few.

We didn't get a storage unit. We didn't ship anything. If it didn't fit inside the six suitcases, it didn't go.

Moe had been back at work part-time, which was still a challenge and mentally fatiguing. He gave 30 days notice.

We told our family and friends. The reactions ranged from happy for us to angry, bitter, and even cruel. Some people said things we won't forget.

We sold our cars. Moe's first, because he still wasn't able to drive. We sold our couch, probably too soon. For two months, we lived with one car, no couch, and garage sales every weekend.

Flights for both of us were about $3,000. We took a train to Lakeland to see my dad and spend a few days with him. Then we flew out of Tampa.

Tampa to Montreal. Montreal to Vienna. Vienna to Tirana. Then a 2.5-hour taxi ride to our new apartment in Vlorë, Albania.

From the decision to leave to the day we landed was 86 days.

Three weeks in

We are three weeks into living in Albania, and it is better than I ever expected.

And my expectations were high. I had decided Albania was going to solve everything. Moe was going to get better. We were going to travel. The possibilities were going to be endless.

And they are.

We walk more. We are off our phones more. We are meeting amazing people and hearing their stories. Moe has a great physical therapist here. We have been to the dentist. The cost of living is better, but not magical. We still pay attention to what we spend and what things cost.

Our income is significantly lower now. Just our military retirement pay. But it is enough.

We eat out. We travel. We explore.

Moe is doing better. As I write this, he has had two really good days. The other days have been good too, but I notice a difference in these last two. And I hold my breath. Healing is not linear. So I wait and watch.

Why we're telling this story

We are sharing our journey for a few reasons.

One, it is fun. It is something we can do together. Moe has found his calling: "going viral." (His words.)

But we also want to inspire other people who might be in a similar situation. People who are looking for a different way. People who have had something hard happen and don't know what their next chapter looks like.

We love our country. We love the USA. We didn't run from it. We ran toward something different.

We want people to know there are options. Yes, it is scary. But it is doable.

If you are in midlife and reinvention is on the table, this is what we want you to know: you can build a different life. Even after a health crisis. Even when the people around you don't understand. Even in 86 days.

Watch the full story - https://youtu.be/FUTORFuJ_eE

The full conversation from Moe and our decision to move is on our YouTube channel.

Want to follow our slow travel and expat life in Albania? Subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow along on Instagram @passportsandplans26. We share weekly stories from Vlorë and beyond.