March 17, 2007
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Please forgive me for using the medium of a
"broadcast" email to inform you of a significant
event in my life, but it is impractical to contact
everyone in person, as much as I would prefer to do so.
Some few of you know that I have been experiencing
gastrointestinal pains for the past three months,
and after several benign but ultimately incorrect
diagnoses, my doctors have determined that the cause
is pancreatic cancer. This disease is one of the
most aggressive and intractable cancers; and as the
confirmatory biopsy was made on liver tissue, there
been some metastasis already, complicating treatments.
Having seen the progress of this or a similar
cancer in two close associates, I am well aware of
the ordeal ahead of me - or, as I prefer to think of
it, Adventure. Thus, I am doing my best not to be
in denial at this or any subsequent stage, but to be
realistic about the prospects. Death is easy; dying
can be hard. Yet, while none of us should want to
know the hour of our death, there is some comfort in
knowing the cause.
Although I will always be happy to provide
information on my progress if you wish it (see below
for instructions on viewing my personal MedBlog),
the Zoology Department is no stranger to illness and
death among its members, and I am keenly aware of
the additional burden I impose with this communique.
So often we forget, in the sometimes rather
confrontational atmosphere of university politics,
that the categories of Friend and Colleague are
nearly coextensive, and I am grateful to have this
opportunity to tell you how enriching I have found
my tenure with you here at Wisconsin. That perhaps
is something I should have said on the occasion of
my retirement, but truly late is better than never.
I assure you, too, that I have an incredibly
supportive cadre of friends, former students, and
family. And so, in the spirit of requesting
contributions to a favorite charity rather than
flowers at a funeral, I would ask that instead of
worrying about me, you will direct your support to
Elizabeth Pillaert and the rest of the Zoological
Museum staff. I had hoped to be an "eminence grise"
on Noland's fourth floor for many more years, but I
suspect that I cannot be of help to the museum for
much longer.
Finally, I offer my sincerest wishes for the
continued success of the Zoology Department, and of
all of you individually; but my advice is - Retire
early!!
John Kirsch
HOW TO VISIT MY MEDBLOG:
1. Type in the following URL on your browser's
address line -
http://www.carepages.com/uwisc
2. Click "Visit a CarePage."
3. Register at Sign Up (necessary only the first
time you visit; left side of screen), or Sign In.
4. Enter my exact CarePage name, which is -
JohnCancerDiary
______________
"Time ...
Worships language and forgives
Everyone by whom it lives."
- W. H. Auden
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John A. W. Kirsch, Emeritus (Zoology)
250 North Mills Street
Madison, Wisconsin 53706 USA
e-mail: jakirsch@wisc.edu
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