Six years ago today, in the pre-dawn darkness of an Oxford winter, Michelle awoke screaming with pain in her abdomen. Convinced it was appendicitis, we called an ambulance (we didn't have a car), which took us to A&E (British for emergency room) at the local hospital. The doctors quickly determined that it was not appendicitis and not immediately life threatening; other than pain management we waited in limbo for quite some time. Eventually the source of Michelle's pain was identified as an ovarian torsion, caused by a mass that was initially thought to be a cyst but was subsequently diagnosed as the primary tumour of the cancer. Michelle had surgery 3 weeks later.
Thus it all began.
I have some belated updates to share, but I'll put those in a separate post. For now, I leave you with some pictures from our final pre-Porlock trip, to Lisbon, less than a week before the journey to A&E.
What beautiful pictures of you and Michelle. Thank you for sharing.
Such beautiful memories of a life well lived and two special people who's paths were destined to cross. Michelle's radiance shines brightly in every picture. You, Bruce, have the knack to capture her beauty, enthusiasm and energy with every click of the camera -- and you have a wonderful way of writing about your soulmate. Thank you for sharing!
What a great picture of her! Thank you for sharing this memory Bruce. It is yet another reminder to cherish every moment.
WOW! I was just thinking about Michelle, and the many things she taught us about living, fighting, and celebrating. Death is life's last great adventure, and Michelle ought us about that too. Thank you Bruce, 💚
These pictures brought a huge smile to my face! Michelle's enthusiasm and love for life remains so infectious. Thank you for sharing with all of us 😍