May 9, 1954 -- March 19, 2008

We lost our beloved Joan after 15 months of brave battle. We will all miss her.

Joan once said, "So living out loud is not always the easiest path. Just the only path I can travel. That being complicated and deep has it's highs and lows; not not much in the middle. I cannot linger in complacency. The eternal is very real when you have seen alot of death.

This place we are living in is so precious and be so easily lost. Please take great care of what has so tenderly been placed in our hands to grow or destroy."

Day One

On Wednesday, January 17, 2007, Joan had a lung biopsy performed at Overlake Hospital in Bellevue, Washington. It was an all day affair in a place (a hospital) the Joan McDade has little to no use for.

Late in the day on Thursday January 18, Joan got the word that the biopsy showed the tumor was malignant. Adenocarcinoma was the word that was used. Joan did not know what that meant. The journey begins....