Good Bye Molly

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I want to sneak in a quick note about the passing of Molly Ivins at the ripe young age of 62. She died of breast cancer. I followed her battle with this most horrible of diseases over the years because it, in many ways, mirrored my mothers struggle; the ups, the downs and the eventual horrific final battle and defeat. Last week, I read a news item about Ivins being checked into a hospital because she was “very ill” in regards to the cancer. I know that term very well and knew what it meant. When we checked my mother into the hospital for the last time they told us that night that she was “very sick”. That’s a euphemism for “she’s going to die very soon”.

While looking at some of the online obits on Ivins last night, I came across a picture of her taken last fall. She was smiling but showed all the battle scars of the war she was waging. The cancer and the chemo take its toll and make you look older than you are. When my mother lay dying in a hospital bed last summer at the age of 67, a priest came in one morning to administer the Last Rites or Anointing of the Sick or whatever its called anymore. He asked, “How old is she, 80?” I wanted to punch him. So when I saw that picture of Molly Ivins looking way beyond her years it brought tears to my eyes. Molly and my mother were both sharp, intelligent, funny women who wanted to live. Both were taken too early by a disease we still pay to little attention to.

I have read Molly Ivins for about ten years now. I liked her wit and down-to-earth style skewering the right at every turn. She didn’t aspire to greatness (she blew a great career opportunity at the New York Times) but she was herself and greatness followed.

I still have a bookmark in my ‘Favorites’ linking to the site where I could find Ivins’ latest column. I’m not sure I can delete it right now.

Update: I really like Ezra' tribute.