Meredith was born when we were 23, and we set out to raise an independent, thinking woman. Meredith was calling and arranging her own babysitters by the time she was five. She declared her independence from us during her adolescence, years before we could be comfortable with that.

Linda and Meredith were never closer than they were after the cancer diagnosis. Meredith, a late academic bloomer, was earning a bachelor's degree with honors, heading toward veterinary school. She and Linda spent a great amount of time each day on the phone during the cancer treatments. And, while I attended every doctor's appointment and was present for almost all treatments, Meredith became Linda's primary emotional support. I continued to travel in my business.

With the initial diagnosis, Linda stopped work and went on disability. She discovered the cancer discussion boards on America Online, and participated in a very active national support system, "seeing" some online friends recover and some die during her two-year battle.