[Nfbv-potomac-announce] Michelle Miller's Passing

[John Halverson]

Dear Colleagues,

Brian sent me details of Michelle's passing to share with our Federation
family.  

Thank you Brian.

John

Fellow Federationists,

I wanted to provide an update regarding Michelle, who, as you know, passed
away suddenly and unexpectedly two weeks ago. I wanted to send word to
everyone sooner, but these past few weeks have been a blur of difficult days
and decisions as our family grappled with the shock of the loss of such a
wonderful young woman. As some of you know, Michelle had moved to Tulsa,
Oklahoma to explore a new job opportunity with the vocational rehabilitation
(VR) program there after a prolonged struggle to find employment here in the
DC area. She was very excited about the new position, and was very
optimistic about her career. Unfortunately, she became very sick before she
even arrived to Oklahoma, with a severe flu and sinus infection. She
struggled for many weeks to gain the energy to settle in and start her new
job, but it proved to be more than she could manage. Many of us had become
quite worried about her when she became uncommunicative. My parents, who
live in Memphis, about a six hour drive away from Tulsa, decided to go there
and check on her. Sadly, they arrived on Saturday, February 27, to find that
she had already passed away a day or two earlier. Her guide dog, Tango, was
with her, and although a bit  emaciated and distraught, he was otherwise
unharmed. We were all shocked and grief-stricken at this discovery, and are
still trying to figure out exactly what happened. There will be an autopsy
report, but it will be several months before a final cause is determined.
Michelle was extremely private about her health, but some of you know she
had a meningioma, which was the cause of her blindness and some of her
breathing challenges that made her voice very weak.  We do not know if this
played a role in her passing, but we hope we will gain some understanding
when the medical examiner's report is completed. Whatever the cause, we are
left with a very deep sense of sadness and loss. 

Michelle will be laid to rest in San Diego, her home town, but we hope to
have a remembrance/memorial of her here in Alexandria, most likely in April.
I will let the chapter know the details once they are finalized.  Meanwhile,
thank you so much for your love and support during this difficult time. 

Yours,

Brian