Adult Blogger: ASS PARADE was intense and I did not get back home much at all. When I did come home for the summer my mother told me that Shirley had been very ill. She had cancer and in the early 70's that was much more scary than even now. You might expect that it was lung cancer from all of her smoking and that might very well be where it started. By the time it was discovered her cancer was in her ovaries, lungs and bones.
Shirley had several surgeries, radiation and severe chemo. She wanted to live very much and she fought her disease for six years. Her doctors were amazed that she hung on so long. I visited her as often as I could. She didn't want many visitors and I respected her wishes when she told her family she wanted no visitors, even though it was difficult. Her daughters were away at college and she insisted that they not stay home and hover over their mother.
