Sad Day

If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you know that we live this very transient life, moving around the world and working in different countries. The second country I worked in was Norway and there I met this great couple, Mike and Terri Hunziker. At that time they didn't have children, but they came in with me and I remember thinking how upbeat and positive they always were. I only stayed in Norway one year because I got married and the school didn't have a science opening for my husband, so we moved to Taiwan. Anyway, this is a very long way of saying, I moved and other than one visit to Washington where I hooked up with Mike and Terri, I hadn't seen them in years. However, Terri always kept in touch, so I got news from time to time. Our eldest children were born around the same time and I remember sharing new baby stories with her. After my father was diagnosed with lung cancer I got word that Terri, who had never smoked a day in her life nor had ever been around smokers, was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer just like my father. It was shocking not only because she had never smoked, but also because she was younger than I and had just given birth to her second son.

She was really an inspiration to me because she fought to get treatment and was a real advocate for herself and others in her situation. She lived with Stage 4 lung cancer for five years and despite setbacks, she didn't give up. It was very recently that an email came that said the doctors had told her she should meet with hospice workers to discuss her care. Yesterday there came word that Terri had died, July 4th. She was 45. I'm including Terri's website and an article about her because I think she can be an inspiration to others. Please send your thoughts and prayers to Terri's two young sons and her husband.

I guess my earlier point about my transient life was that it is comforting to see how despite not having seen Terri for years, we still managed to keep in touch and that she still had so many friends from her time in Norway.