I learned earlier today by way of Bill Crider's blog that Ed Gorman died yesterday.
I never had the privilege of meeting the man. Most of our contact was by way of the occasional email which started shortly before Sandi underwent her stem cell transplant. While she was in Florida going through it and just after she came back he called me to share his own experiences and to buck up her morale as well as my own. Those calls and emails meant more to us than he will ever know.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Carol, his family, and friends who knew him far better than we did. He is truly missed.
Never met Ed, but we were email pals and, of course, I knew him well as Sam McCain, Jack Dwyer, Dev Conrad, and every other protagonist in his amazing novels. He lives forever in them. Most of all, tho, his most profound gift to us as fellow human beings, is a short story that should be required reading for everyone, especially youngsters. It's called simply "The Face." Goodbye, Ed, my friend. You've made me cry again now, here in the public library. But they're proud tears, you know, shed for a giant.
ReplyDeleteWe did the email thing as well though he did call me a couple of times to chat briefly. We feel like we lost a member of the family.
ReplyDeleteIt has been a brutal weekend. We lost another friend who had been battling the same cancers Sandi has been fighting. If Sandi was in ICU, Vickie was out, and then a month later it would flip the other way. Often their treatment days would sync up and both Mike and I would be the awake spouses and chat a bit as our wives slept and received chemo, IVIG, and other things. Both fought lung infections and were on oxygen for months within weeks of each other. It was rare that both were doing better at the same time, but that happened about six weeks ago and though Vickie looked tired she was holding her own.The parallels the last three years have been incredible.
Then, one little thing happened, and that set off a cascade over the next twelve hours that ended with her battle being over. Now she is gone and Mike has been left behind to somehow cope.
I'm upset and hating what has happened to take two different people out of our lives in one weekend. Cancer sucks doe not begin to cover it.
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Sad to learn this.
ReplyDeleteMy condolences, Kevin, on the loss of your friend, Vickie. And my warmest best wishes for a smooth recovery for Sandi.
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