Brunos - I'm sorry to hear.

If seats are tight, I'd buy the flex fare (preferably with free rebooking and a reasonably-priced cancel) for the earlier date and redate it as I go along. So I'm ready to scram if the end is near. I'd sleep easier at night.

In the Oriental Daily case the passenger's father passed away and the passenger had to rebook his return to YVR.

If you buy cheap and have to leave earlier you'll face the same struggle as the Oriental Daily passenger trying to get a waiver on the cancellation fee and still you'll be subject to full repricing.