On Easter Sunday, 2000,
Rona Wells was feeling breathless and bloated, serious enough
for her to ask to be taken to the emergency unit of the
local hospital. Chest x-rays revealed a significant amount
of fluid in the pleural space. Further examination showed
the fluid contained cancerous cells. No tumor was found
despite 10 days of testing with MRIs and scans all over
her body. Baffled, the team of doctors studying her case
opted for the removal of her ovaries and although pristine
in appearance, pathology revealed malignant cells. Removal
of the omentum finally revealed a tumor undetected by previous
test methods. The diagnosis was now easy, ovarian cancer,
Stage IV.
A resident of Saratoga,
California, Rona spent her life caring for her husband of
45 years, George; her 3 children, Carole Ann, George, Jr.,
and Neil Stewart; their respective wives and husband, Kimberly,
Jeannine, and Michael; and her 3 grandchildren, Caleigh
Rae, Georgie and Jacqueline. She took up golf in her late
30s when she and George joined the La Rinconada Country
Club in 1977. By the mid-80s, she became Club Champion for
two years in a row. For many years she wrote a column in
the La Rinconada monthly magazine. She was a gifted writer
and humorist.
Rona was a fabulous cook,
loved to entertain, to travel, to play bridge, and administered
to her pets and grandchildren with loving care. She dedicated
herself to improving other people’s lives. She was
nominated “The Sunshine Girl” at her country
club and in this role called and wrote cards to people in
need of comfort. She did this with great love, even during
the 4-year period of her illness when she was exhausted
and suffering from the side effects of her treatments.
