Janet Elaine Wright
March 17, 1957 - April 27, 2006
Obituary
Jan WRIGHT Of Seattle, died Thursday, April 27, 2006 peacefully at home, surrounded by her loving family. Jan was born on the Wirral, England on March 17th, 1957 to John and Molly Leonard. After a peripatetic childhood in England, Canada, and Australia, she pursued training as a Radiographer at St. Bartholomews Hospital, London, England, receiving her Diploma from the College of Radiographers in 1978, followed by a Diploma in Medical Ultrasound in 1985. She married her husband, Ian on March 17th, 1983, and had two sons, Sam in 1986, and Thomas in 1988. The family came to Seattle in 1990 for a year-long sabbatical at the University of Washington, and fell in love with the area, returning for good in 1992. Unfortunately, Jan was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after her return to the country, and lived with the disease for the next 14 years. Initial successful treatment was followed by early and repeated recurrences, and in 1995, she was given less than six months to live. Despite her painful and debilitating therapies over the years, including chemotherapy, radiation, multiple surgeries and a stem cell transplant, Jan pursued life with a determination and zest that were an inspiration to all who knew her. Her amazing survival was a tribute partly to the skill and dedication of her physicians and other caregivers, but mostly to her iron will, and her desire to see her two sons reach adulthood. As if battling the disease and raising two sons were not enough, Jan decided to return to school to fulfill her first love, the study of English Literature. She graduated from North Seattle Community College in 1997, transferred to the University of Washington, and graduated Summa cum Laude in 2000. She entered the graduate program and received her Masters in 2003. Jan started her own business as a freelance editor, and rapidly built up a nationwide client list. Her skills ranged from academic editing to developmental editing of novels, and word-of-mouth recommendations produced more work than she could handle until illness forced her recent retirement. Jan never complained about her lot, and always saw the positive. As her physical abilities declined, her intellectual life became richer and more fulfilling. She was passionate about literature, the theater, and conversations with her many friends, and her dinner parties were legendary affairs. She doted on her family, who were always her first priority, and she was fiercely proud of her sons. At the same time, she found time for others, and volunteered in a variety of roles at Montlake Elementary, Washington Middle, and Garfield High Schools. She touched the lives of many people, and although her death leaves an unfillable void, she will live in their hearts for ever. Jan received excellent care from many people, and her family would like to pay special tribute to Dr. David Dong of Northwest Hospital, and especially Dr. Hank Kaplan and his entire staff at the Swedish Cancer Institute; their dedication, skill, compassion and love prolonged her life and eased her death.
