Sad news

I came back from a pleasant winter break to some very sad news. Someone I know and respect is dying of cancer.

Erick Wujcik is a writer and was the creator of a great roleplaying game based on the Roger Zelazny book Nine Princes in Amber. He is only 56 years old.

Erick had no advance warning that there was anything seriously wrong with him. Just before Christmas he went to the doctor because he thought he had flu. The prognosis that he has pancreatic cancer, which has spread to his liver, was totally unexpected.

When I read this news while catching up with my emails - in a mailbox otherwise full of seasonal greetings and invitations to parties - I felt stunned and shocked.

Life is just not fair.

Erick is writing a personal blog, describing his experiences and feelings since discovering he has this fatal disease. You can find it at www.47rpg.com/blog/

However, I have not yet plucked up the courage to read it. My husband, who is a closer friend to Erick than I am, has read it and says Erick is upbeat and determined to make the most of the time he has left.

Death comes to us all. Erick's positive attitude is an inspiration. There is a lesson to be learnt: the importance of living life to the full for the time we have.

Good luck, Erick. My thoughts are with you.