Releasing the Light: A Journal of Caring

Ann FitzGerald and I had been close friends and writing partners for 27 years when Ann was diagnosed with lung cancer. Almost immediately I began to write extensively in my journal about what I feared were the last days we would spend together. As I tried to pay close attention to the options Ann had and the treatments she underwent, I was also doing my best to keep hold of what was precious to me - our relationship. Releasing the Light is a shortened version of the record I kept for our last two years, describing what it was like for us to live through this trial together. Neither of us were saints, I least of all. Though I became Ann's caregiver, I was never a model of what a caregiver should be. I found myself fearing all tomorrows, often trying desperately to escape from truth, succumbing to irritation, regretting mistakes, and often finding joy with Ann in love and laughter.