Epilogue
By John Swan
March 26, 2015
After finishing Chapter 16, Dale had to stop writing. The chemotherapy, radiation and drugs had taken their toll, and she became exhausted.
But writing this memoir was a very healing process for both of us.
By the fall of 2014 it was evident that Dale didn’t have much time left, and we were struggling with the sadness of letting go.
Then one day she woke up with an epiphany after a Reiki session from a colleague.
“It was wild,” she said. “This phrase kept running through my mind–My life is compost.”
Being the writer she is, Dale cast that hook out into the universe, then sat down on the sofa and over the next three months reeled in this 64,000-word memoir. Every morning I would come downstairs to see her face beaming over her laptop. Our life changed and we began to enjoy each day, one at a time.
Around this time Dale also came up with the idea of creating a foundation to teach therapeutic writing to critically ill patients and their families. Those plans are going ahead, with the recent formation of a Board of Directors. More information will be available soon on her blog, daleswan.weebly.com
Dale spent her last two months with friends and family, her greatest joy. Throughout this ordeal we have been blessed with so much love and support from so many people.
In the early morning of April 26, 2015, Dale died in bed at home in Jamaica Plain. It was her final wish.
This memoir is her gift to all of us, and a tribute to the love and courage of this amazing woman. She will always be my Sweetheart.
The following interview with her long-time friend Kay Adams helps complete the circle of Dale’s rich life in her own words.
By John Swan
March 26, 2015
After finishing Chapter 16, Dale had to stop writing. The chemotherapy, radiation and drugs had taken their toll, and she became exhausted.
But writing this memoir was a very healing process for both of us.
By the fall of 2014 it was evident that Dale didn’t have much time left, and we were struggling with the sadness of letting go.
Then one day she woke up with an epiphany after a Reiki session from a colleague.
“It was wild,” she said. “This phrase kept running through my mind–My life is compost.”
Being the writer she is, Dale cast that hook out into the universe, then sat down on the sofa and over the next three months reeled in this 64,000-word memoir. Every morning I would come downstairs to see her face beaming over her laptop. Our life changed and we began to enjoy each day, one at a time.
Around this time Dale also came up with the idea of creating a foundation to teach therapeutic writing to critically ill patients and their families. Those plans are going ahead, with the recent formation of a Board of Directors. More information will be available soon on her blog, daleswan.weebly.com
Dale spent her last two months with friends and family, her greatest joy. Throughout this ordeal we have been blessed with so much love and support from so many people.
In the early morning of April 26, 2015, Dale died in bed at home in Jamaica Plain. It was her final wish.
This memoir is her gift to all of us, and a tribute to the love and courage of this amazing woman. She will always be my Sweetheart.
The following interview with her long-time friend Kay Adams helps complete the circle of Dale’s rich life in her own words.