Rick and Marsha were married in Vail in 1982. They honeymooned in Hawaii before settling into life in suburban Denver. Rick loved his work as a corporate lawyer and usually was the first one to arrive at his office in The Denver Tech Center. Marsha was a fifth grade teacher at Franklin Elementary school in Centennial. After ten years of marriage and three kids, Marsha decided to retire from teaching to spend more time with the children. The kids’ schedules were cwaaaazzzzyy with Chloe involved in ballet and gymnastics, Brett playing competitive hockey and baseball, and Sarah immersed in volleyball and cross country. Marsha began to feel like an uber driver seven days a week. There was no time for a getaway to their condo in Breckenridge as one sport or another had tournaments or competitions each weekend. In September, Marsha felt tired and had pain in her back. Both she attributed to stress and driving so many miles to various events. When three trips to the chiropractor didn’t ease the pain, she scheduled an appointment with their family doctor. She ran a battery of tests but could not determine the source of her pain or the cough that had begun in October. The doctor referred her to a specialist who ran a series of very sophisticated tests the following week. Dr. Shanley called ten days later and asked Marsha if she could come to the office to go over the results. They scheduled an appointment for Thursday and what concerned Marsha was that the doctor asked if Rick could accompany her. Marsha was a wreck and had trouble sleeping before the appointment. She held Rick’s hand nervously as they sat together in the waiting room. Dr. Shanley welcomed them and seemed a bit stoic. The doctor said that tests revealed a large tumor in Marsha’s back. She said it was a stage four cancer and that it was too close to the spinal cord to perform surgery. Marsha and Rick were overwhelmed and Rick eventually asked what other treatment options were available. The doctor was very candid and said chemotherapy and targeted radiation. She informed them that this cancer was hyper aggressive and spots were also found in the liver and pancreas. Marsha fought valiantly for twelve weeks but seemed to lose two to three pounds every ten days. The family opted for home hospice care in the the final week. The kids were devastated. Rick fulfilled his promise to Marsha that he would be the one to keep the children active in hopes they would rebound faster. Marsha was able to spend quality time with Chloe, Brett, and Sarah where she laughed about the great times they had shared together. She held each one tight and kissed them sweetly on the forehead. ‘Promise me, she said, that you’ll stay committed to your dreams and know that a part of me will live on in your hearts forever. I know your dad will do everything he can to help you through this and that it will surely take time for him too. Please know that your smiles and laughter will the springboards to help him bounce back from the tough days. This is not the end, my dear children. I will revel in your triumphs and have open arms when times are difficult. Love each other as I have loved you and put a bit of magic in each day. Go with the flow and laugh like a five year old at Elitch’s.’
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