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A friend of mine, Petrina (Trina) Dortch, passed away Monday night, 9/8, only 40 yrs young, after a very long battle with a blood disease. For seven years she dealt with myelodysplastic syndrome, or preleukemia, and was diagnosed with leukemia in July of this year. She entered VCU Medical Center in Richmond for aggressive chemo in late July and never left the hospital. The chemo destroyed all of her bone marrow but she was never able to start producing any again before a massive fungal infection took over resulting in her organ systems shutting down. Actually it was a miracle she survived this long with severe anemia and a very compromised immune system before developing full-blown leukemia. But it was still a shock when the diagnosis finally occurred, then to see her go downhill so quickly, and then to leave us. She left behind three daughters, four grandchildren, three sisters, a brother, and more extended family and friends than I can list here. I came to know her because she was my husband’s ex-wife and they shared a daughter.
On Monday night, right about the time my husband received the call, I was upstairs showering and getting ready to wind down for the night, but Trina was weighing very heavily on my mind. I prayed “Heavenly Father, she’s in your hands now,” and felt compelled to go over to my computer and play “Go Rest High on That Mountain” by Vince Gill. I had no idea her daughter (my stepdaughter), my stepdaughter’s young son, and my stepson had arrived at our house just in time to overhear the call. When I got up from listening to the song, my husband called for me, and said we had company. I hollered down, “Who?” He came upstairs and whispered to me that Trina passed away about 1/2 hr before.
As my personal tribute to Trina, I’m linking to a music video of “Go Rest High on That Mountain.” We love you and we miss you greatly, Trina, but we know your suffering is over and you are at peace in Heaven with Jesus and we will see you again someday.
Here is Trina’s (now) memorial website, Flowers for Mommy.
acute myelogenous leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, AML, bone marrow, chemo, chemotherapy, leukemia, myelodysplasia, myelodysplastic syndrome, preleukemia
