Sep 9th, 2014
Sickness and death
Have you heard of the site Caring Bridge? This free-to-use (supported by donations) site makes it easy for a sick person (or, usually, his or her family) to send out updates and news to a member list of family and friends (who can in turn post comments and messages of support). It’s a great site, and I’m really glad it exists. But it also makes me terribly sad.
Yesterday I got an e-mail inviting me to join the page for my grad school advisor, Nancy. She was diagnosed with cancer last winter and has been sending out occasional e-mail updates. But there are so many people in her circle, and writing those e-mails is difficult (taking up valuable time and energy). So, with her approval, her sister has started a Caring Bridge group.
When I logged into the website, I was greeted with a list of other groups I belong to: one for Doug, and one for Melinda. I read the Caring Bridge updates (in both cases, written by their spouses) as each of them went through cancer treatment, suffered pain and loss, and died. I think about both of them from time to time, and mostly I remember them as the vibrant, active people they were before they got sick. Seeing their names on this page, though, reminded me of the unhappy endings of many cancer journeys and made me wonder if Nancy will tread a similar path.
2 Responses to “Sickness and death”
I’m always at a loss for words when it comes to cancer. Within the past 6 months, 2 co-workers have passed away from their relatively short battles with cancer. I have another co-worker who is currently giving her cancer a run for it’s money. While I understand this site can make us sad, it definitely is wonderful that it exists. Big hugs!
Deborah recently posted..Re-Entry
Thanks, Deborah. And good luck to your coworker!
Marsha recently posted..Sickness and death