Renee Tomlinson (Ash)

I was ten years old when Grandma Tomlinson died. She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. At the time (even today) pancreatic cancer is a difficult disease with very low survival rates. Her particular form could not be surgically removed and I don't recall well (perhaps someone else with more knowledge could comment) but I don't think there was much that could be done. It seemed a very short time from diagnosis to death but our parents probably did not tell us more than we needed to know at the time. She was very ill and got very thin and frail at the end. I remember being taken to speak with her some time near her death. Everyone knew that she had very little time left. I remember that she took my hand and told me she loved me. Her hand seemed very hot, very warm and fragile. Maybe I just remember it that way because it was so cold the next time I touched her hand when we were taken to see her in her casket. The only other thing that I remember that she spoke to me about was that I should never, ever drink coffee. She made me promise that I would not. Later, my mother told me that Grandma was convinced that her cancer was the result of a late-in-life decision to start drinking coffee. I kept my promise, I have never had coffee in my life.