From Paris to Atlanta

In the immortal words of my dear friend Linda Hunt “Life is what happens when you are making plans”. Sure enough, while in Barcelona (6/10) my brother Bill in Atlanta rang me on Skype to say that he was in the hospital. He’d been sick when we were all together in Tahoe and it was distressing to hear that he hadn’t improved and had in fact gotten much worse. Three days later we find out that it’s leukemia. He’s being transferred from the hospital to the Emory University Winship Cancer Center to begin treatment ASAP. A week of 24 hour chemo to start and then determine next steps. There’s been a lot to process, so grateful for Skype, Imessaging and Facetime to be able to keep in touch. Just a few days ago we learned that initial treatment revealed some facts that make this a longer-term treatment. The prognosis is good and we believe Bill will get through this and into full remission with the grace of God.

For Jeff and I, it’s been cause for lots of reflection. When someone you love, who shares your DNA, who’s always been there gets so sick like this, it really causes you to think about what’s most important. Luckily, it’s not a crisis situation, Bill’s in good hands, his wife Lu Anne is incredible, and they have amazing support from their community. They don’t need us. But we need to be with them, spending time, helping out if we can but also just being a part of the healing process. Be a part of Team Rowlett. So we booked our tickets from Paris to Atlanta on 8/25 and will take a break from our trip. We planned this trip loosely so allow for flexibility and are so glad we have it. In the meantime, we will continue through Spain and into France per our initial plans, toasting Bill’s short recovery and long life all along the way.

Team Rowlett in Tahoe May 2014