NEW BRIGHTON, Minn. (WCCO) – A 20-year-old Minnesota man died while embarking on a family trip as part of his final wish.
His family spoke about his lasting legacy.
Twenty-year-old Giacomo Naylor gave everything to his loved ones, including his mother and younger siblings, up until Jan. 25 at 2:28 a.m. while on “G’s Last Stand.”
It was a coast-to-coast road trip the family took for this very reason.
“’I don’t want to die in a hospital. I don’t want to die in a hospital,’” Liz Naylor remembered her son saying. “And I said, ‘OK!’”
His other younger sister, Gianna, died in a hospital at age 16.
He now gets to see her again after his death in Sedona, Arizona, during the road trip.
“‘Where do you think he is?’ He might even be farther than the fifth dimension. He’s definitely so far out there with Gianna having a blast,” Liz Naylor said.
The Naylor siblings were all born with myotonic dystrophy, a genetic disorder that causes muscles to waste away.
It wasn’t until later that the family knew something was wrong, so they made things as right as they could.
On their road trip of a lifetime, they heard horns honking and saw hands waving.
“The amount of generosity and spirit completely blows my mind,” Liz Naylor said.
They also took pitstops at national landmarks and had unique interactions along the way.
“This guy just starts crying and says to me, ‘I just found out I’m going to become a father.’ I said, ‘Don’t take a single second for granted. Whatever you do as a parent, just never take any of it for granted,’” Liz Naylor said.
Now that they’re back home, things are different.
As for Giacomo Naylor’s bedroom, that’s transitioning like his body to another life; it’s going to be owned by the family’s three-legged friend Lagniappe.
Giacomo Naylor’s dream was to have a therapy dog and that’s what the family is doing by training Lagniappe.
“If you were inspired enough to donate, to support, follow, take that inspiration and go do something,” Liz Naylor said.
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