The Long Goodbye

My mother's first cousin Andrea died today. She was in her early fifties. Back when she was 19 years old and on her honeymoon, Andrea had a nasty fall. She was diagnosed with MS.

In the early 1980s, Andrea's hemophiliac husband contracted HIV from a tainted blood transfusion. He passed it to his wife without knowing he'd been exposed. He died within ten years, but she kept going.

And going. Andrea was one of those positive forces of nature. You could simply not get the girl down. I guess that's why her death is so oddly shocking. The woman had two -- that's two -- fatal diseases, and yet she never seemed to be actually dying.

If you are so inclined, please say a little prayer for our angel Andrea, and for her only daughter J. Thanks ...