Megan's Obituary

Megan Leigh Brown February 2,1983-July 25, 2009

Our daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, and friend passed away after a 4 year battle with ovarian cancer. Megan was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. As a child, she lived in Humble, Texas and Jenks, Oklahoma. She moved to Park City in 1994. She graduated in 2001 from Park City High where she was on the Dance and Academic Decathlon teams. Megan graduated from Mary Washington University in Fredericksburg, Virginia with a degree in English in 2005. While in college, she danced and choreographed for the school’s performing arts group. She returned to Utah following graduation and discovered that Park City was where she wanted to live forever. She was last employed at Park City Mountain Resort. Megan’s great loves were family and friends, great literature, not-so-great trashy romance novels, dance of all types, travel, and the Utah Jazz. Megan leaves behind her parents, Kevin and Marie Brown (Park City), a sister, Sydney Lynne Brown (Baton Rouge, Louisiana), Grandparents, Darrell and Lavonne Brown (Conway, Arkansas) Curney and Shirley Lyons (Gonzales, Louisiana), numerous uncles, aunts, and cousins, and countless friends. Services will be held on Thursday, July 30th at 3:00 PM at the Park City Community Church in Park City. At Megan’s request, friends are invited to wear bright, happy colors so she can see us from above. In lieu of flowers, family has asked the donations be made to The Blanton-Davis Ovarian Cancer Research Program at MD Anderson Cancer Center, PO Box 4486, Houston, TX 77210 or The Huntsman Cancer Foundation, Memorial and Honor Program, 500 Huntsman Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84108. Special thanks to the many health care professionals who assisted Megan and her family in this difficult journey.

Long Days, Longer Nights

It seems the roller coaster ride is nearing its end.

We've had several near misses the last few weeks. Yesterday I called the hospice nurse and told her that something was different. Megan was very uncommunicative, had fallen a couple of times, and was generally weaker than normal. So the nurse came out. Blood pressure was hard to find; she guessed it was 70/60, but it was probably lower than that. Pulse ox seemed fine as did the heart rate. But I followed her out and asked what we should expect in the next few weeks. (I'm the type who just does better if I know whats going on before it actually goes on.) She told me that Megan probably has 1, possibly 2, weeks of coherence. Then we should expect her in a semi-conscious to unconscious state. After that, it can be days, weeks, or longer--it will just depend on how Megan's vital organs have been affected and how strong they are.

Kevin's folks are here now and were planning on going back to Arkansas on in a week; now they're not so sure. Not much use in driving back to AR only to have to come back for a service. My folks are playing it by ear to see what feels right. Everyone is trying to find "bright, happy" clothes because Megan has told me she doesn't want everyone in black and grey at her service. She wants to be able to see us from above.

This is all surreal. Who shops for new clothes for their child's funeral? I have no idea how we'll get through this...

Doctors who go beyond...

Who has ever heard of a doctor, a surgeon no less, making a housecall?

Megan's gynecological oncologist called yesterday and asked if she could come up and visit. She came after a full day of surgery, still in her scrubs. She sat with Megan and then visited with the rest of us. She had a note for Megan which she said she had to write because she wouldn't be able to say the words. It was beautiful--she wrote that she named her clinic the Monarch Women's Cancer Center because she believes that transformations take place with cancer, sometimes through a cure, sometimes not. And she finished the note by saying that she was certain that Megan would be transformed into the strong healthy woman she once was. And that she would miss her.

I've never witnessed such compassionate care in my entire life... We are fortunate to have found such a doctor. I wish no less for everyone with any life-threatening disease.