I think most of us think that time heals all ills. I used to think that but not any more. If anything, I think it gets worse and worse. As more time passes, I realize how final this is, that Adrienne isn't coming back. The more time passes, the further away she gets. I worry that I'll forget about things, that she'll be further from my life. Now we have to order the headstone. I found out that some parents wait years to do this but we have to since the unveiling is coming up. I worked on the words but my sister, Diana, is taking care of the details because I just can't do it. It's too final. So I guess the bottom line is, time doesn't help.
This weekend, a year ago, was Adrienne's college graduation. The last year of college was so incredibly difficult, chemo, surgeries, hospitalizations, pneumonias, but she was so tough and determined. I'm incredibly proud of her and everything she accomplished. She was happy and proud and it was too shortlived. I hope you'll continue to think of her.
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Adrienne was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease in 1996 at age 9. She had multiple relapses, two bone marrow transplants, and a range of chemos and radiation therapies, and passed away on October 1, 2009. We are heartbroken.
Out with the Girls
About Adrienne
- Adrienne
- Adrienne was very much like others with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, the most common cancer in teens and young adults. What was unusual is that she had it for more than half her life and ultimately, it took her life. Hodgkin's is curable for about 80% people, but Adrienne was one of the 20% for whom a cure was elusive. She considered herself lucky since treatments had been there for her with each relapse but she ran out of treatment options and her body just couldn’t take any more. As she said, "Though I’ve now had cancer for most of my life, I no longer plan my life around it; instead, I try to plan cancer around my life." We hope you can take inspiration from her and how she lived her life.