Kate (right) with Hannah c. 2008

This is the story of a journey through stage four breast cancer, written from the perspective of a caregiver.

The name of the website comes from an initiative that my wife started over twenty years ago after the loss of one of our dogs. She set out to raise money to pay for veterinary care for dogs in need: an utterly overwhelming task given the sheer number of people in need, yet for the animals and families she did manage to help she was nothing less than an angel.

In the end, the demands of project proved too much even for Kate's indominable spirit. She could not help everyone, and sometimes those to whom she gave enormous amounts of time, effort and her own money felt that she had somehow not done enough. Despite that, Kate never lost her generous spirit and was a firm believer that the world is made a better place through random acts of kindness.

If you get the chance, try to do a small act of kindness of your own in memory of Kate.

Simon Bland, Boston, MA

July 2024