TrulyGrace

Last Lectures

I just read the obituary of Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon professor who succumbed to pancreatic cancer. My friend linked his "Last Lecture" to a blog, and I pondered the case of another friend with pancreatic cancer who has, to this day, gone into remission to survive the odds.

Pancreatic cancer, until recently, has been a swift sword for the end. In recent times, more are surviving for longer periods of time.

It brings to mind the first discussion of my outpatient intake nurse and physical therapist and I the week I was discharged from the hospital after my operation. We discussed Amy Knapp's passing, listed in that day's Post-Gazette obituaries. Margie stated that she was "so young, in her early forties." She, too, died of cancer. She was the School of Information Sciences professor who taught government documents.

You never know when your day [to go] will be..."It's always best to have your affairs in order," as one of my friends always says.

Labels: farewell, friends, research, school, teaching

posted by Grace @ 7/25/2008 12:54:00 PM