And the Story continued...

Actually, it wasn’t Dorothy who had headed to OZ that fateful day, but Auntie Em & Uncle Henry, who raced their little white truck ahead of that spring storm from the outskirts of “Hampsterville” into the center of OZ. Auntie Em hadn’t been feeling well and her doctor had recommended that she try to contact the lovely Good Witch of the North (or, GWN) - [that would be Dr. Gray] – whose surgery practice sat in a big building overlooking the Montlake bridge and the fabled Mt. Rainier and the author says fabled, as it was cloudy and rainy the whole time and she never did actually SEE Mt. Rainier with her own eyes. Anyhow, the GWN was assisted by a party of four – 3 pretty and able young women doctors and handsome student doctor Steve, (none of whom bore any resemblance to Toto, the cowardly lion, scarecrow or the tin woodsman but you see where I’m trying to go?)

The first day was fraught with waiting, and waiting…, and waiting…. When the whole thing was over, there was even waiting in the recovery room. For, when asked by Auntie Em for the third time “What time is it”, the recovery room nurse said “Christina (I mean, ...Auntie Em), did you have a bus to catch?”

When finally reunited with “Uncle Henry” in her plush private room in the towers overlooking the Montlake bridge, “Auntie Em” finally cried when she found out the results of her surgery – that was there was no cancer beyond the lining of the uterus – it had not even spread into the uterine walls! That meant no further treatment – radiation or anything – Auntie Em was genuinely relieved. The Wicked Witch of the West was dead!