She charmed us with her written word for decades. She gave us hope of relationships that made it, that lasted. Of love that was meant to be – and that was simply undeniable. She was Nora Ephron – an entertainment icon who, by all accounts, left us too soon. (Image courtesy of Wikimedia)
Who can forget the famously-penned line, in one of her most well-known projects
When Harry Met Sally . . . “I’ll have what she’s having.” Now, if you don’t know the movie, you won’t get the joke. So watch the movie… it’s well worth it.
If it wasn’t destiny that Ephron was able to so easily grace us with her talents, it certainly could have been genes. She was born to the stage and screenwriting duo Henry and Phoebe Ephron in 1941. And she never looked back. From her novels and plays, to her screenplays and essays, Ephron was able to bring joy and laughter to audiences around the world.
But laughter turned to tears and sadness on Tuesday, when Ephron passed away due to complications of acute myeloid leukemia and pneumonia at age 71.
What is acute myeloid leukemia?According to the U.S. National Public Library of Medicine, and the National Institutes of Health, acute myeloid leukemia is one of the most common types of leukemia among adults. It is more common in women than men, and is generally found in persons more than 60 years of age.
This type of cancer occurs when abnormal cells develop inside bone marrow. These cells grow very fast, and replace healthy blood cells. The bone marrow, which helps the body fight infections, eventually stops working correctly. Therefore, individuals with AML become more prone to infections and have an increased risk for bleeding as the numbers of healthy blood cells decrease.
In Ephron’s case, it may have been that increased susceptibility to infections which caused her bout of pneumonia to develop.
We’ll miss you, Nora.While honored in death, Ephron will most be remembered and cherished for her lifetime full of bringing us happiness. We can only hope that someone takes the Romantic Comedy torch and runs with it; although any resulting works will have a tough time holding a candle to her legacy.
Rest in peace, Nora.
Cited SourcesA.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia. "Acute Myeloid Leukemia."
NIH.gov. U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, 6 Sept. 2010. Web. 27 June 2012. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001569/>.
