I lost a good friend and close associate yesterday. Her husband called me in the afternoon with the sad news. She died with her husband and her mother at her side.
She was my coworker, occupying the cubicle next to me for the last 15 years. We have worked together since 1986. Last December, she got a call at the office, from her doctor telling her to go to the emergency room, since tests showed she had a serious pancreatitis problem. She never came back to work.
It took several weeks to determine the problem was actually cancer in or near the pancreas. An operation on Christmas eve to correct a duct blockage found cancer had spread to the lymph nodes all around the area. It took a long time to recover from the surgery, and all went downhill from that point on.
I was able to see her a couple of times, but she really didn't want visitors. So I feel fortunate to have seen her those times.
She and her husband were hikers, spending lots of time around Mammoth, and hiking many trails of the area. I think her favorite place was around Big Pine Lakes. The screen background on her computer is a picture from the summit of Mt Whitney.
She was a Whitney Hikers Association paying member (
tj_thread), although she never posted to our forums.
It is such a raw deal that she was not able to enjoy any time in retirement.
Rest in peace, Tina. Lord knows I'll miss you.
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Edit: Here's a picture. Tina always hated to have her picture taken, but at the request for a staff group picture, she posed with the rest of us. This was taken just 7 months ago. Tina is in the middle.
