I regret to inform everyone here that Anna did pass away on December 1, 2003. Though a week before she was quite cheerful--- almost like her old self--- and even hoping to try a new therapy for her legs if she survived the surgery--- she fell into very poor condition that last weekend.
Even so, the surgery was tried. She did not wake up.
I did not hear about this until this past Sunday night, when I called. Her parents also e-mailed to thank me for forwarding all your good wishes, which I had assembled into an HTML page and which Anna DID see before she fell ill again. Anna's mother re-affirmed that attending the DS events, and meeting you all and the actors brought her the greatest joy she knew in her situation (though every trip was fraught with complications.)
Anna leaves her mother, stepfather, daughter, grand-daughter, and son-in-law. She was young to be a grandmother, but was glad that there would be a step into the future, and that she knew it before her untimely passing.
She actually worried that nobody's holiday be made sad by news of her death, but this has been a difficult season for many people for many reasons. I think of how it will be for her parents this Christmas--- she
was difficult to care for, but she WAS beloved, and her mother will miss her company, as Anna's daughter lives on the Continent.
However, for what it's worth, Anna lived quite a full and interesting life, and is no longer suffering. I am sorry that I did not have a chance to know her better, under better circumstances. I will miss her next year, especially as she did enjoy Lyndhurst a great deal, particularly in the autumn when the "alternate" events took place.
If anyone wishes to send any further messages of sympathy to her family, please e-mail me directly at
aquilablanco@erols.comLorraine
