Alicia Rose Parlette (January 11, 1982 – April 22, 2010) was an American

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

and

copy editor Copy editing (also known as copyediting and manuscript editing) is the process of revising written material (copy) to improve readability and fitness, as well as ensuring that text is free of grammatical and factual errors. ''The Chicago Manual of ...

who was diagnosed with

alveolar soft part sarcoma Alveolar soft part sarcoma, abbreviated ASPS, is a very rare type of soft-tissue sarcoma, that grows slowly and whose cell of origin is unknown. ASPS arises mainly in children and young adults and can migrate (metastasize) into other parts of the ...

in 2005 while employed by the ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. de ...

'' newspaper. At the age of 16, Parlette began experiencing pain in the area of her right hip that forced her to drop out of

cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open coun ...

. An MRI scan revealed a spot that was interpreted as a hemangioma. Six years later, after she developed a severe cough, further scans showed spots in her lungs. Half a year later, she developed a lump in her right breast, which was excised and

biopsied A biopsy is a medical test commonly performed by a surgeon, interventional radiologist, or an interventional cardiologist. The process involves extraction of sample cells or tissues for examination to determine the presence or extent of a disea ...

, leading to the correct diagnosis of the cancer she had probably been carrying for at least seven years. After learning of being afflicted with this rare form of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

, Parlette began a diary of her treatment titled "Alicia's Story",Parlette, Alicia
"Alicia's Story"
''San Francisco Chronicle'', June 5, 2005. Retrieved April 8, 2008. the first installment of which was carried by the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' on June 5, 2005. The series won Parlette the Laxalt Distinguished Writer Award in 2005. The first seven installments of the series were published as a book of the same name in 2005. On March 9, 2007, the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' published the final installment of "Alicia's Story" under the title "Cancer. Despair. And now, a blog."Parlette, Alicia
"Alicia's Story: Cancer. Despair. Faith. And now, a blog."
''San Francisco Chronicle'', March 9, 2007. Retrieved April 8, 2008 In this installment, Parlette explained that she no longer would remain a "full-fledged employee of

Hearst Newspapers Hearst may refer to: Places * Hearst, former name of Hacienda, California, United States * Hearst, Ontario, town in Northern Ontario, Canada * Hearst, California, an unincorporated community in Mendocino County, United States * Hearst Island, an i ...

" and instead would be continuing to share her story as a public

blog A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order ...

on the ''Chronicles website. On August 17, 2007, Parlette posted her last entry on the website.

Appearances and health updates

On November 13, 2008, Parlette attended a book reading by

Kelly Corrigan Kelly Corrigan (born August 16, 1967) is an American writer. She is a graduate of the University of Richmond and received a Masters in Literature from San Francisco State University San Francisco State University (commonly referred to as Sa ...

and was reported by another cancer survivor as doing well, "she looks healthy and vibrant".

Decline in health

In early April 2010, Parlette's health took a turn for the worse. Her friends set up a site to gather donations and give updates on her health. On April 13, 2010, a post on the page described Parlette's current condition: :''"...her lung tumors have grown to the point where she needs to be on oxygen full time to function...Even with the oxygen, she is struggling to breathe. In addition, Alicia has a fracture in her right hip, the side where her large tumor is. Consequently, she is in bed 24/7. Neither the breathing nor the hip problems are fixable or reversible. Her oncologist has recommended no further treatment."'' :''"Parlette is conscious, eating and drinking, chatting with visiting friends, snuggling with her dog Clarabelle, and napping. Her pain is well-managed and she is comfortable, considering the circumstances."'' :''"To be perfectly blunt, it's hard to say how much time she has left. Her doctor explained that her health problems are compounded further each day."''

Death

On April 22, 2010, Parlette died at the

University of California, San Francisco Medical Center The University of California, San Francisco Medical Center is a research and teaching hospital in San Francisco, California and is the medical center of the University of California, San Francisco. It is affiliated with the UCSF School of Medi ...

, at the age of 28. During her final days, her friends read her favorite book, ''

To Kill a Mockingbird ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' is a novel by the American author Harper Lee. It was published in 1960 and was instantly successful. In the United States, it is widely read in high schools and middle schools. ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' has become ...

'', aloud to her; she died twenty minutes after the last chapter was finished.

Public memorial

A public memorial was held for Parlette at Lafayette Park in San Francisco on the evening of May 10, 2010. During the reading of an excerpt from ''To Kill a Mockingbird'', there was a break in the rainy weather, with the skies opening and the sighting of a rainbow to the east over downtown San Francisco.

Appearances and health updates

Decline in health

Death

Public memorial

References

External links