And so I go...after this 14 year battle my time has come to pass. The cancer that was remaining in my lungs, that had been stable and slow growing for years, that we could fend off with a whack-a-mole (thanks for that image doc) array of procedures, finally decided it was time. We won a lot of battles along the way but, ultimately, this was a war that could not be won. And while I would have loved to stay a little longer (maybe welcome a granddaughter and dress her in lavender), I accomplished what I needed to do - the boys are raised and will be good men (they know how to clean a toilet), they have travelled to many parts of the world and seen both the richness of and challenges for other cultures and countries, and my house is left in good order.
We are reminded of Angie's strength and character when we look back at her post from Sunday, June 10, 2007, less than 2 weeks after she learned about the initial diagnosis.
And so I go...
And so I go...before 6:00am, I will have checked into Swedish Hospital. First, to surgery to get my port-a-cath and recovery. Then, up to my oncologist's office for blood work, and finally arrive for my five hour chemo cocktail. And so I go...with my books of inspiration, books for book club, my laptop my mom got me just for this, pixy dust and stars...And so I go...with my heart clear, humor in my voice, and lightness in my step. Oh, I am scared, but not fearful for I am in the hollow of God's hand. And so I go...my husband on one side, my mom on the other, my aunt caring for my children and all my loved ones cheering me on with every step. And so I go...
We are very thankful to all of Angie's family and friends who provided support over the many years and to all of the doctors and nurses and support staff who cared for her. Your support helped her live her best life for as long as she could.
A memorial service for Angie will be held at 2:30PM on Friday, July 30 at John Knox Presbyterian Church. A celebration of Angie's life will follow from 4 to 8PM. A live video option of the memorial service will be provided and the video will be posted to YouTube. Angie's obituary will be posted on the Seattle Times website tomorrow and will be in the print edition on Sunday.
As part of the celebration, we are working on a compilation of tribute videos. If you would like to prepare a tribute video, you can upload it to the link below (you will need to copy and paste the link into your browser). We will compile some or all of these for everyone to view at the celebration. Remember to keep it light - we will be celebrating.
https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdrive.google.com%2Fdrive%2Ffolders%2F1cSjW4uRCK20huWuEmpvlQPlkuy3TiDUZ%3Fusp%3Dsharing_eil_m%26ts%3D60faeabd&data=04%7C01%7C%7C0d8f8ee05b394e021ee808d94df6e6c7%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637626545099444892%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=N1FZX91PmgIPB89s%2F02t9EGqaEB39y0n1hsfT101CbU%3D&reserved=0
4 comments:
I just wanted to say I am so very sorry to hear this news. I am not one to regret things but I really regret that i didn't send a message to Angie earlier to thank her for her blog. I don't know her but I was diagnosed with colorectal cancer last February at 42 and it seemed that after a year of treatment i was done, but in January this year they found it had spread to my lungs and I was Stage IV. I wasn't expecting it and the shock was hard to deal with. Especially hard was coming across all the statistics, even my oncologist had a dim outlook for me. I looked for some positive stories about Stage IV survivors and found Angie's blog. She most definitely was a survivor and I went right back to the beginning and read her whole story. I know that her 14 years with cancer was not easy and I am amazed at how much treatment she endured but she had a clear focus that she wanted to be there for her family and I'm sure that kept her going when it got difficult. I wanted you to know that her blog has really helped me to make sure I have a similar drive and focus on surviving as she did, and there have been many times during my chemo when it's been difficult that I've thought of her and what she went through and it has really helped me to keep going. She was a great example and even though I am just a stranger on the internet, her story has meant a lot to me. She left a great legacy by writing this blog, to give other people hope. What an amazing fighter, I hope I can fight as long as she did. My thoughts are with your family as you farewell her this week. Michelle.
Praying for you Michelle!
Grant, so very sorry for your loss. Jen just told me today. I had been following Angie for years, especially since my own cancer diagnosis in 2009. I hope you and the boys are doing as best you can. Sending hugs, Maureen
Oh Angie, I had no idea. I thought it would be fun to Google you and catch up. We had such innocent fun at age 17, and I was curious where you’d been all these years.
I’ll remember how you bit your bottom lip and flashed that smile with your bright eyes, looking better than Cybil Shephard ever could.
Damn, now you’ve broken my heart twice.
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