July 2008.

Family, Friends, Supporters:

The current issue of the SSO Newsletter carries a wonderful tribute to Carroll.

On Page 3, the top photo captures the essence of Carroll: the infectious smile, the twinkle in her eyes, happy yet the bandages on her fingers indicate pain of some level that she would not allow to get the better of her in her daily living.

The other photos from left to right show Carroll and I enjoying a restaurant meal in Aruba, Carroll’s idea of paradise .
Family was always important to Carroll. When first diagnosed with Scleroderma in 1983, Carroll became depressed because on the basis of available literature at the time, she expected a very short lifespan, fearing that her young children would become orphans, never getting to know their mother. Her happiest moments were the weddings of each of her 3 children. The third picture is the family photo from Jon and Nadia’s wedding.
Carroll had a very close bond with her granddaughter, Emily, having been present at her birth and making a lot of time available during a difficult, fussy first year of life. She never turned down an opportunity to babysit Emily, although it took the two of us to successfully complete the exercise. Unfortunately, time did not permit Carroll to extend the same attention to her grandsons, Jacob and Lukas.
The last photo shows the two of us on a boat in the Mexican Pacific, immediately after Carroll was forced to stop working and go on disability due to Scleroderma (Oct. 1990).
These were bleak times for Carroll as she wrestled with issues of self-worth and self-realization. But she still managed to put a smile on both our faces.

Carroll had a saying that whatever cause she took on, the immediate family was involved. With Scleroderma and the Gala, she extended that to all whom she came in contact with.
Your support has been very much appreciated. Without it, some of the goals that were important to Carroll could not have been achieved, mainly providing support to Scleroderma sufferers, raising awareness of the illness, and providing funds to find a cure.
The 2009 Gala is on Saturday, April 4. Anyway that you can support it is greatly appreciated.

Carroll’s biggest fan, Vidas.

PS: This is written on old SSO letterhead as you will note from the Newsletter that we have become a separate charity from the Arthritis Society with a new logo.