Long-time area journalist Dave Taylor was diagnosed with stage four esophageal cancer in May of 2021. Following the diagnosis, he did what most journalists do: write. He began documenting the experience in a weekly column in the Hancock County Clarion titled “What I Learned from Dying.”
Dave died in September 2022, and now, approaching the second anniversary of his death, his wife Jamie has compiled the columns and published them in a book with the same title.
“Dave and I had always talked about it, and people were always telling him he should put it together in a book, either about recovering or after his passing,” Jamie said. “People wanted to read the story from the beginning through the end.”
Jamie said it was a goal of hers since her husband’s passing. She initially planned to do it within the first year but quickly realized that would be challenging because of the toll it would take on her emotions.
“I wanted to be careful with the grieving process and allow myself time to get back on my feet,” she said. “It was difficult because so many problems chronicle our relationship, like our engagement or getting married. Some of them almost felt like love letters to me.”
For the past 2 years, Jamie navigated the triumphs and tribulations of Dave’s story, stepping away when it became overwhelming but always returning.
“I had this perfectionist idea of what it should be,” she said. “I felt overwhelmed and a lot of pressure, but as I was reaching the second year of his passing, I knew I had to push through.
Long-time owner of the Hancock County Clarion Donn Wimmer always promised Jamie he would write the book’s foreword. Jamie said Wimmer was a great friend to both of them and graciously gave Dave a platform for his column.
Jamie reached out to Wimmer but to her surprise, he didn’t respond. She reached out again, and still nothing — which she said was far from typical. She later ran into Wimmer’s daughter at the local IGA and discovered he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
“I told her I would love to talk to him at least one more time. I grew quite fond of him,” Jamie said. “She had him call me, and we talked about the foreword. He advised me to use the article he wrote after Dave’s passing.”
Wimmer died 11 days after he and Jamie spoke.
“It was the perfect timing in so many ways. I was able to get the book done before the second anniversary,” she said. “Don was so supportive of Dave during his illness.”
Jamie said getting the book out there feels good, especially because it can benefit so many people. She knew it was always Dave’s goal to publish a book. Still, she referred to the experience as bittersweet because it’s difficult to be celebratory about a book that chronicles her husband’s death.
“It feels good to get this story out there because the truth is, either someone is going to be diagnosed with cancer or know someone who is,” she said. “It’s a great tool for people to share, either as a caretaker or an individual with cancer. If people pick up the book and it helps facilitate a difficult conversation, what a blessing.”
The week before his death, the Clarion published Dave’s final column, titled “What of those I leave behind?” He wrote about driving to the suburbs of Indianapolis to purchase a designer side table and how, at one time, he aspired to be an architect and furniture designer.
“It turns out you have to be good at math and be able to draw for that sort of thing,” he jokingly wrote in the column.
He expressed that the table constantly reminded the Taylors of their favorite times spent together, with Dave writing, “Who I am will become who I was, and everyone’s relationship to me will change. On my last day here on Earth I’ll become a citizen of Heaven, but everyone in my life will also get new identities.”
The book’s cover is a digital version of a portrait of Dave that was hand-painted by renowned local artist Aaron Kizer using Dave’s ashes. Read more about the incredible events surrounding the painting in a previous Owensboro Times story here.
Jamie said many elements in the book are relevant to patients and caretakers and that she’s always available to lend a helping hand. Her email is [email protected].
The book is available now on Amazon.