Thursday, March 07, 2013

In Memory

Last night, I found out via Facebook that a choir friend had passed away.

I can't say that I knew Carol as well as I know my closer friends in life, but I often found myself standing next to her, as we were both more "petite" members of choir and Don often places us in the front row for rehearsals and concerts. I'd had many a nice chat with her and always found her to be funny, kind, and delightful to talk to.

It seems few of us knew she was ill; as recently as January, she was handing out music as our group's librarian. I had noticed her absence at recent rehearsals, but from time to time, people sit out concerts to take care of other business in their lives. I figured I'd see her again soon, after this weekend's concert.

Turns out that I won't.

Carol had what is being described as "inflammatory" breast cancer. I don't know what that means, but it sounds very serious, and it must have been a very recent diagnosis. Suddenly, shockingly, she is gone, and I know her death will leave a hole in our choir. Many of us knew Carol and were very fond of her.

Rest in peace, Carol. If the Facebook page set up in your honor is any indication, you were loved and respected by many. I'm so very sorry I won't get to sing next to you again.

2 comments:

Erik said...

Oh, Meg, I'm so sorry. She does sound like she was a great person! Cancer really does suck.

Kristine said...

I hate cancer. It's taken away too many people that I love. BTW, I remember reading an article about the "other" kind of breast cancer a few years ago. I think it's primarily in the milk ducts, and doesn't produce noticeable lumps. The whole breast seems to swell and get hard. Because it doesn't produce distinguishable lumps, it's usually found in its later stages. This is likely what happened to your friend. (and all this is from memory, so I hope I'm sharing acurate info!)
It's hard when a friend dies, even if you didn't know them very well.