Dear Family and Friends of Marty Smart,
If you are receiving this email it is because Marty had your address in her contact list and we wanted to pass along news of a serious illness.
Some of you have already been contacted, for those who are hearing this news via email, we appreciate your forbearance. Marty has a true gift for making and nurturing friends, too numerous to notify by phone.
Marty has been diagnosed with a brain tumor, a glioblastoma (GBM), which is incurable. She was demonstrating some confusion, had headaches and memory problems in the past couple of weeks and was admitted to Walter Reed Army Medical Center on Christmas Eve. MRIs and today¹s biopsy confirmed a very large tumor that spans both the right and left frontal lobes and is likely spread throughout the brain. Marty has an advanced medical directive that expressly states that she does not want chemotherapy or radiation treatment to prolong her life. Her doctors say that without treatment they believe she will only live for a few weeks.
Clearly this news is a shock and many will have questions. We¹ve put together a website that you can register for that will provide updates and let you leave messages for Marty and her family. Here is the url, http://www.lotsahelpinghands.com/c/621107/, please register and let us know in the notes section how you know Marty. Future email updates will be sent from the website so if you want to stay in the loop, please register.
Marty will be at Walter Reed for at least another week to ten days and may be visited in Ward 46 (SICU). Visiting hours are until 8 p.m. and there are no limits on how long you stay or how many people are there, we trust that you will help conserve her strength, yet liven her day with your visit. She's not allowed flowers on this ward, so if you want to do something for her, donate to the Alzheimer's Association, www.alz.org.
We are not completely sure how much of her prognosis Marty understands, which is a function of the type of tumor. Don¹t be surprised if there is memory loss or some confusion, yet she can still get a good zinger in. She seems to be very at peace with what is happening to her, which is a blessing.
Please keep Marty and her nieces and nephew in your thoughts and prayers. If you have any questions or need to arrange a visit, please contact Barb Geraghty at barb.geraghty@cox.net or 757-515-8614. As we find things that the family needs help with, we will post them on the website. Cards may be sent to Marty at 2917-D S. Woodstock Dr., Arlington VA 22206.
With gratitude for your support at this difficult time,
Mackenzie Thompson (Marty¹s niece)
scgrad99@sbcglobal.net
714-423-1511
