August 20, 2022
by TRatner
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As featured in the Los Angeles Times… He loves to cook, the way some people love to pray, or dance, or sing. I didn’t know that about him when we first met on Feb. 13, 2012. It was a blind … Continue reading
July 5, 2022
by TRatner
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The official diagnosis was the following: Adenocarcinoma, cancer of the esophagus (EC), located at the gastroesophageal junction, where the stomach meets the esophagus. For the next 28 days, our lives overflowed with medical tests, surgeon consults, and round-table family discussions. … Continue reading
July 5, 2022
by TRatner
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During my three-hour wait in the surgical waiting area, I argued on my cell phone with my 93-year-old father, vented to family and friends about a physician’s partner being a ‘no show’ for the surgery due to an office mix-up, … Continue reading
March 3, 2016
by TRatner
2 Comments
Left to right: Leonard and Evelyn Pasternack; Bubbles and Gerald Rotstein My mother and her two best friends, Evelyn and Bubbles, were inseparable. They knew each other as young wives in Chicago, having been introduced by their husbands who went … Continue reading
October 28, 2015
by TRatner
2 Comments
My Addiction I’m addicted to ancestry.com. It started innocently with a free two-week membership and an occasional quick search every couple of days. But then an hour or two of researching turned into five, six, or seven. It became a … Continue reading
June 30, 2015
by TRatner
5 Comments
The last time I wished my father dead, I meant it. I was on a plane home to Phoenix after visiting him in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, where he was in his final stage of life. As a nurse, I knew … Continue reading
March 12, 2015
by TRatner
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February 7, 2015
by TRatner
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On the Tuesday before New Year’s Eve, we packed up the car with two duffel bags, one cosmetic case, a hanging bag, cooler for snacks, and one Bedlington terrier named Gracie. But before you feel sorry for her, picture … Continue reading
February 7, 2015
by TRatner
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Over the past few years, I’ve begun to feel age. I feel it when I turn my left arm sideways to grab something or when I extend it over my over my head (torn rotator cuff), but I decided to … Continue reading
September 27, 2013
by TRatner
2 Comments
TEN As a young man, he called to tell you he was sick with the flu. You were concerned and asked him if he had any food in the house. “No, I haven’t been eating much,” he replied. So you … Continue reading