Darlene Sayers Kardatzke, M.D., discovered her life’s calling as a pediatrician while a college student in the city of Anderson, Indiana. This book recounts her journey as a doctor, wife, and mother through years she called the “summertime” of life. Her example of living life to the fullest in the face of her struggle with cancer later in life is an inspiring tale of love and commitment.
Darlene herself coined the term, “the summertime of our lives” less than a year before she died of metastatic breast cancer. Her childhood and school years are told as well as her decision to enter the field of medicine. There are stories of tent camping with her husband and their experiences as relatively old first-time parents. As a pediatrician, Darlene was deeply committed to the well-being of infants and toddlers, especially those with developmental issues.
Some stories are funny. Others are grim as the realities of cancer treatment are told. Her cancer journey will be especially meaningful to cancer survivors and to friends of current and past cancer patients.
Spis treści
Contents
Foreword
A Tribute to a Friend
Preface
Acknowledgments
Prologue
Part One – Springtime in Indiana: 1965 to 1967
How We Met
Spring Tornados
Romance, Rabbit, Death, and Life
The Fox in the Henhouse
Kinfolk from Kentucky
“Papa Huffman” and an Uncle Named “Uncle”
Homes in Indiana
The Broken Swing
The Burning Car
Grada’s Gold Mine
Career Decisions
Our Roads Diverge
Part Two – California Callings: 1967 to 1974
Our Roads Converge
First Tent Camping Trip
Engaged on Interstate 10
Wedding Day
“Missing the Boat”
Migration to California
Children of “Troubles”
How the Kittens Got Their Names
A Cat Named “Eight”
Yosemite and the Road to the Sea
Internship and Residency
Saved by an Apple Pie
“Visiting” Presbyterians
Our Mostly Quiet Second Apartment
The Big Tent
Burnt Sugar Cake
Taking Off Our Wedding Rings
Hitting the Job Market
A Glimpse into the Future
Leaving California
Part Three – Summertime Years in Wisconsin: 1974 to 1992
Milwaukee Migration
First Autumn in Wisconsin
Wisconsin Snows
Accidental Methodists
Discovering Elmbrook Church
Our New Church Home
From Sierra to Summit
New House, New Baby
Jenny Elizabeth: March 30, 1977
Anna Katherine: February 15, 1980
Matthew August: July 22, 1983
Birthday Cakes and Parties
The Great Midwest Triangle
The Climbing Tree
The Tree Row
Tree Row Relatives
From Professor to Headmaster
Mothering and Doctoring
Part Four – Autumn: 1992 to 2009
Wichita Calls
The Kansas Detour
Home Again in Indiana
Autumn’s Harvest
First Decade as Hoosiers
Halcyon Days of Camping
Bad News Breaks In
Telling the Children
Preparing for Treatment
Chemo Begins
Laughter in the Midst of Cancer
Hair Loss and More
Mastectomy and More Bad News
More Passages
Radiation and “Normal Life”
The Seven-Hour Hike
A Wedding and a Gift
The Road Clears
The First Grandchild
The Big 2005 Trip
Peaceful Years 2005 to 2008
Late Autumn: March 2009
Part Five – Wintertime: 2009 and 2010
Cancer Returns
Gruesome Procedures
Darlene’s Retirement
Chemotherapy Again
Caring Bridge
Alumna of the Year
New Grandchildren
Returning to Colorado
My Retirement
A Celebration of Life
Deep Conversations
Milestones of 2010
Final Camping Trip
The Last Summertime
The Trip Not Taken
Nearing the End
The Baby Gate Crisis
Looking Toward the End
Last Day at Home
Second to Last Conscious Day
Resurrection Day
The Kiss Test
The Benediction
The Aftermath
Epilogue
Chronology
Appendix
O autorze
Nyle Kardatzke lives and writes in Indianapolis. He holds a Ph.D. in economics from UCLA, and he taught economics at Marquette University in Milwaukee before becoming a private school headmaster in 1978. He worked as the Head of School at Brookfield Academy, Wisconsin; Wichita Collegiate School, Kansas; and Sycamore School, Indiana, for a total of 28 years before retiring from school headships. He has three adult children and ten grandchildren.
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