On November 12, 2004; my mother, Elisabeth Young, died of cancer.

It was the night of the season's first snow.

It's hard to say how I feel about her.

I think she loved me more than I could love her back. . Perhaps you feel the same way.
I took time to look through the old family photos. . It's quite a collection of people. . You learn about yourself and where you fit in by looking at these. . This site is for the purpose of presenting a few of those people, (at least that's where it begins), starting with my Mom. . It is inevitable that others are going to be included in some of the photos. . So much of what we are is drawn from the people around us, or brought out by their presence. . Not everybody who appears may want to be here. . So if you see your photo and want it removed, contact me; and if I don't remove it I'll at least edit you out. . I'd like to stress, though, that in any given Portrait, (that is, a collection of photos over one or more pages with the object of explaining a person), the subject of that portrait will be in every photo, and anybody else who appears is contextual. . Please don't be concerned if you pop up in a photo or few. . . . Some of you may have your own photos of her; I would like to see them if I could.
A note on the Cancer:
Her disease, (of the pancreas), was not caught early; though there were signs in the months and years beforehand pointing in that direction. . These were:
  • Ulcerative Colitis .. The pancreas empties into the duodenum, between the stomach and the intestines. . If something interferes with its operation, colitis can result; possibly because among its jobs is to secrete a neutralizer for stomach acid. . Without that, the acid chews on the lining of the gut.
  • Pancreatitis .. I had never heard of this until her first attack, some 18 months before the diagnosis. . It's an obvious sign: "Something may be wrong. .Look for it.".. After her second attack, the doctors did look more intensively ; but ran the pancreatic tests last, perhaps because pancreatic cancer has such a lethal reputation. . Treatments have improved, and are improving, but the disease must still be caught in a timely manner.
  • Chronic middle-back pain .. She visited her chiropractor often before the diagnosis, for temporary relief of pain. . (The diagnosis was not made by him). . I imagine that many patients with hidden, advancing pancreatic cancer will come to people in this trade. . Chiropractors: Please be alert to it, and willing to refer such patients for testing and treatment outside your field.

The test which found my mother's cancer was for Carbohydrate Antigen 19-9 . Nobody really likes getting themselves checked for cancer -- it's not good news. . But it's a dangerous disease, and a rotten way to die. . Test -- to catch it early or have it off your mind. . There are some reports that high doses of Omega-3 fatty acids, (fish oil), can help slow the progress of the disease. . From our experience I don't know, we got too little to her too late.
Michael Young
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