My friend Lori Cohen went west on Saturday after a long battle with cancer.
“Doc” was my chiropractor, and she spent a lot of time and energy saving me from myself, so much so that she tried to get me interested in yoga to lighten her load a bit (sorry, Doc).
We shared a wide variety of interests — food and the preparation thereof, exercise to burn off the attendant calories, Santa Fe, Vespas, lefty politics, snark, and so on.
The final stage of her illness came on as we were beginning the transition from Bibleburg to Duke City, and I wasn’t able to give Doc as much attention as she deserved, having given so much of hers to me over the years.
But I did drop by on the day she was selling her beloved blue Vespa LX 150, to take it for a short test ride, make sure everything was in working order, and see how she was bearing up.
After I rolled the Vespa back into her driveway, Doc said she wanted to take a final spin on the scoot. The cancer had brought her quite a bit of pain, and limited her use of one arm, so I wasn’t eager to sign off on the ride, noting that if anything got horribly sideways her longtime friend and caregiver Jeff Tarbert would beat the shit out of both of us, but mostly me.
But Doc wasn’t going to let that final opportunity pass her by. She climbed aboard, twisted the throttle and putt-putted off up the hill. She didn’t fall off until Saturday.
My thoughts are with her many friends and family.
Mad Blog Media 
I hope the Hereafter, assuming there is one, is a good place for folks like Dr. Lori, who gave so much good to this world. As for the rest of us…..I guess we prove once again that the good die young.
Fair it ain’t, for sure. Doc fought the good fight, though, and you can’t do any more than that.
The good news is, if only the good die young. I’m liable to live forever.
I’m very sorry for your loss. It sounds like she was a good person.
But I’m glad to hear she insisted on taking that final ride! I would do the same.
Doc certainly carped that ol’ diem, Debby. She kept working as long as she was able, too, trying to help others between surgeries and chemo. A brave soul, to be sure. I would have dissolved into a largish puddle of tears and various waste products.
I re-read chapter 16 of the Tao te Ching just now. We are sorry for your loss.
“Returning to the source is serenity.” Well chosen.
Leaves
Leaves change then rain down
Collect on the ground
Are they truly dead?
Very sorry to hear one so special had to leave the party so early. Like Khal sez………
She was a good’un, Boz. Always armed with a hug and a kiss for an old pal, even if she wasn’t feeling quite up to snuff. And tough, too. She could always get my crooked old spine back in proper working order, no matter how I’d managed to rearrange its bits and pieces.
I see from her site that she did her undergrad at SUNY New Paltz. Sounds like she was from my neck of the woods.
You’d have recognized the accent, I think, K. Not the Full Brooklyn, but mos def East Coast.
Condolences and sympathies to her friends and family. Apparently those pink cleats and gloves billion dollar athletes are wearing on Sundays aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.
Ah, they try, I suppose. Cancer tries harder, though. Fucker never takes a rest day.
I’m so sorry for your loss, Patrick. She sounds like a very lovely, learned and dynamic person. My sympathies to you and her friends and family.
Adding insult to injury, now El Paso County is down three Democrats. That’s practically half the party in that neck of the peckerwoods.
My condolences and my sympathy to you, her family and friends. That you had a soft spot for her says volumes.
Hah. Well played, sir. Doc was into helping folks lose old pains, and them other sonsabitches were into giving ’em new ones.
Sorry to hear that, Pat. At least her suffering is over.
Sorry for your loss Patrick, Cancer Fu*king sucks.
Sorry to hear this Patrick. From the sound of it, she was good people. And you are too for “safety testing” her scoot.
I am sorry Patrick.
Sorry to hear of your friends passing. There is little I can do to make it up to you,
Cancer Is a bitch. My godmother died of breast cancer about twenty years ago.The main thing was I never got to say good bye. When I went to the funeral and then talked to her husband (my Godfather) I told him about that and he said that she always liked me. I used to stay over at their house sometimes and she was always a lot of fun (for a grown up).
Best wishes Mike Frye