Monday, July 18, 2005

  • Currently Reading
    Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Book 6)
    By J.K. Rowling
    see related

    Reading this book?  What a surprise!  I met Evan last night to buy him gelato and borrow his HP book.  I only got to page 80 last night.  Tonight between work and class, and then between class and sleep, I will be furiously attacking it.  Not too furiously, though.  I don't read at the same speed I used to (before my senior year of high school), and I want to slow down to savor it anyway.

    In other news, my Aunt Donna (dad's brother's wife) passed away Saturday night after several years of battling cancer.  It started with breast cancer, which a mastectomy and lots of chemo seemed to wipe out, but a year later, as cancer often does, it came back and set in her bones, her stomach, and her liver.  Surviving on barely 400 calories a day for months, because she just couldn't keep the food down, she finally fell into a coma at the end of last week.

    I'm really sorry for the gruesome detail.  I guess I share most of it to defend my position that I'm happy for her that she's gone and that she can rest in peace.  The way she fought for months on end amazed me beyond belief.  Last year at this time, doctors were diagnosing maybe a few months to live.  She persevered, though and was incredibly strong until the end. 

    I'll be out of commission from tomorrow night probably through the weekend attending the funeral in Missouri with my family.  I'd appreciate any prayers you might send the family's way. 

Comments (13)

  • jerjonji
    my prayers go with you and your loved ones as you say good-bye to one fierce woman.
  • GoatOfTheYear
    Sorry, thinking about you. 
  • outsideme
    absolutely.
    I pray that there would be peace for you and your family. Especially for your dad.
    I can't imagine how hard it would be to lose my sister...
  • Adifferentdrummer

    I will certainly be praying for all who loved Donna and mourn her passing.  You are right, Emily, that now she is at peace with no more pain or suffering.  Travel safely and may God be your comfort.
  • bow_to_the_reverend
    I'm sorry about your loss. My grandmother went through a similar thing; she had cancer off and on for fifteen years before it finally never left. Have a safe trip.
  • jerjonji

    i want some gelato! they don't have any here!

    ryc: i thought about reading Red Tent, but i really hated good harbor. luckily, it was a short book!
  • bow_to_the_reverend
    Yeah! Bring some cooler weather, please. Today I worked outside all morning, and it was getting to be very unbearable.
  • douglasg610
    My prayers go out to all your family. I hope you all have time to settle things, body and spirit.

    Parenthetically, I still haven't started HP6...want to savor the suspense for awhile.
  • ydurp
    Aww, I'm sorry.  I'm glad the suffering is over.  It's hard on everyone. 
  • baldmike2004

    Dear Emily,

    My deepest condolences, but I am sure Aunt Donna is in a better place, with no pain anymore forever. When I was a senior in high school, I was taught speed reading, which helped me immensely as a college student, esp. since I was an English lit. major. Of course, one shouldn't speed read for pleasure. I never read one of those Harry Potter books. My roommate just read the first one, and said that J.K. has a definite gift, but he thinks of the book as children's literature. From what I can ascertain from reading critiques of the various books, a child can "grow" with the books, and each suceeding book is written for a bit older child, etc.

    Michael F. Nyiri, poet, philosopher, fool
  • drmarcusmobley

    i'll say a prayer for your family.

    I tend to agree with your friend, but i sometimes read some pop culture junk as well. I actually don't mind some grisham here and there. A really good book to read is "Ireland: A Novel" by Frank Delaney
  • UmbraeMentis

    Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince:  very good book. I tried to use the same reasoning as you seem to be: read it slowly and enjoy it. I guess that I enjoyed it too much, because I read it all in one sitting.

    Sorry to hear about your aunt; cancer is a horribly beast that, it seems, she dealt with quite strongly. 
  • airglow

    my prayers are w/ you and your family -

    and thank you for the edit...i never do that, heh. good catch.

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