News of Torch

I'm sorry to have to tell you that Torch appears to have embarked on her final journey, if you'll forgive the greeting-card cliché. At about 6 a.m. today, after a difficult night of pain and medication, she slid into a peaceful sleep here in her late grandmother's house. The hospice nurses tell us that this sleep is the best place for her to spend the days she has left.

Our three weeks here on the Cape have been a joyous, sad, and sometimes exhausting round of visits from dear friends, family members, and wonderful health care providers. Torch spent many hours holding court or just basking on the deck overlooking Pleasant Bay, watching the birds feed and the chipmunks squabble over the fallen birdseed, and enjoying her grandparents' beautiful flowers. She had said all her good-byes and knew it was time to let go.

A few events stand out. One was a gift of love to her family that will bear fruit for years to come; those of you who were directly affected know about it so there's no need to repeat it here. The other two are related to her professional work: a Compassion Award in her honor by one coalition partner organization, and yesterday a gift from another coalition partner, from the woman of whom Torch often said, "She's who I want to be when I grow up."

A final note: since some of you have asked, the poem in Torch's final post from DC is not her composition but was written by Dawna Markova.