KATE

It is with great sadness to report that Kate passed away Saturday morning after a 3 ½ year battle with pancreatic cancer.

When I got home a little while ago, I decided to go out on the balcony. I just sat there for a while enjoying the peace and tranquility of the sun set. What stood out was the beauty of the few remaining rays of sun reflecting off of the clouds. And then I started to think about Kate, and I couldn’t help but think that if there really is a heaven, Kate is up there right now enjoying the view. And for a brief moment today I felt like smiling rather than crying, and with that, the realization that Kate had suffered for way too long, and that she deserves the peace of this beautiful evening. I am confident she is at peace, and no one deserves it more than her.

In less than one week, I am running in the Lawyers Have a Heart 10K. It was 10 years ago that Kate and I first ran this race together. Ten years ago that she was encouraging and cajoling me, and yes even telling me to stare at a pretty girl’s butt (see last blog entry), to get me to finish the race. That was Kate in a nutshell --- determined, competitive, caring, funny, kind, and just an all-around great friend. I’m not sure what sort of emotions I’ll experience on Saturday. But I do know this, that although Kate has left us here on Earth, her spirit will be with me from the starting gun to the finish line.

Kate spent the last month of her life at a hospice facility in Rockville, and I knew this day was coming. Still, I am in disbelief and shock about her passing. I wish I could write more eloquently about what a wonderful and terrific person she was, but I don’t think I could do her justice. Instead, I commend to everyone a wonderful entry on her blog reporting the sad news: http://www.katethaxton.com/survivingpc/

Rest in peace, Kate.