On Wednesday, June 26th, I noticed a FB post from a member of the Jacksonville Symphony Chorus sadly announcing the death of Lindsey Keller on Tuesday afternoon. I really didn't know Lindsey--she was a soprano and I'm an alto--but there were a couple of announcements during the spring concert rehearsals about her ongoing battle with brain cancer. After our May concerts, distracted by other things, I didn't read or hear anything else about Lindsey until Wednesday's announcement. I thought it was sad that someone so young had succumbed to cancer--she was 32. Mainly out of curiosity I linked over to comments about her and eventually came to her Caring Bridge site. I read her "My Story" post and then the final post in the journal. It was the one from her husband announcing her passing but titled "Glorious Freedom." Knowing how the story would end, I traveled back to the first post from Lindsey that explained her diagnosis and what she hoped to gain from the treatment that had been prescribed from her team of medical specialists. I read every post, a total of 104. She talked about chemo, radiation, reactions to various treatments, and fertility. She worried about her family finances because of mounting medical bills and perhaps the loss of her job. She never complained or asked for help other than prayer. She wrote about her loving and attentive husband, family and friends, and often posted photos of their escapades. She offered up scripture and prayer at the end of most of her posts. Each time I hit the "next" button I worried that the new post would be the one where she announces new tests showed bad results and there would be no hope. I read her story for several hours on Wednesday experiencing her optimism, faith, joy, sense of humor, love, appreciation, and even fear. Her Caring Bridge story began on April 16, 2012 and ended June 27th with the announcement of two memorial services in July.
So what does Lindsey have to do with my journey through Web 2.0? Beyond friends and family and her many chorus affiliations, Lindsey was an elementary and middle school chorus teacher and no doubt had many students worried and wondering about her. I read a note by Lindsey's husband, Steve, shortly after she died that her doctors had told her after the initial diagnosis that this brain cancer would take her life. But not once in 104 posts did Lindsey ever let on that she knew that. Her story is a sad but beautiful story brought to life for an infinite
number of people because she chose to share it on Caring Bridge.
Lindsey had a beautiful singing voice...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=787WnJ1JHLs
I'm sorry I never really knew Lindsey, but I'm so thankful she left behind such a beautiful story.
This medium can be very powerful for sharing stories of a journey through life as well as for remembering someone.
ReplyDeleteI find it (the medium, not the story you're sharing) to both be heartening and yet mildly unsettling (we share with a certain audience but many others can find our personal stories, including complete strangers) -- the latter has to do with my own beliefs about and need for privacy in certain realms.
We did have the chorus connection, but I'm sad I didn't know her better. She was obviously generous because she chose to share a very personal story with friends of friends of friends. I'm not sure I would have taken the time to read the entire blog and comments if we hadn't been discussing and reading about social networks and their effects in this course. It rounded out the discussion on social networking in addition to exposing me to a heartwarming story.
DeleteSweet :)
ReplyDeleteYou said you didnt know her, but it seems that you did. Music teachers (and well normal teachers too) share so much of their inner self with their students. Sometimes it is more personal than knowing all the petty little details of life when you can share art together.
This is a reason I went to school to be one ;)
Sounds like a great lady, she probably touched so many lives :)
Thank you for your comments. I wish I had known her better, but I'm so happy I took the time to read her story.
DeleteMy son's step mom also had a story on that site. She was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer, with no family history or previous health problems, at the age of 34. She passed away two years ago at 38. She would have been 40 on July 3rd. She was my ex husband's wife and she loved my son like he was her own. I think that sharing helps...in whatever media.
ReplyDeleteCaring Bridge is practical for people who have so many connections and many people who want to keep up with the story. All of the phone calls would be exhausting I'm sure. Although the loss was difficult, your son was lucky to have a step-mom who loved him and fortunate to have a mom who is secure enough to share him with her. Thank you for your comments.
Delete