Making the most of her dash

By Arni Sribhen

A few weeks ago, I was watching the memorial service for Pat Tillman, the NFL player who was killed while serving as an Army Ranger. A comrade of his from the military said something like this:

"That one little dash in there represents a lifetime. How do we spend our dash?"

Casey Kane spent her dash being a really good friend to a lot of people.

I first met Casey in 1999. I started at the Anderson Independent-Mail in June and several weeks later, we had more job openings.

One of the new reporters we hired that summer was Casey -- though I questioned whether she really existed or not, since I never met her during her interview, and she took her time starting at the paper.

But she did show up, she became one of the most-liked members of the staff. She was quick to join a conversation, even if her selective hearing only heard a few things, like something that sounded like her name.

I was one of the first people she told she had cancer. In her own way, the conversation went something like this.

Me: "Sports, this is Arni."
Casey: "Arni, I won't have my story today. I have cancer."
Me: "You're joking right?"
Casey: "No."

I immediately went into a panic, but I was calmed down when Casey told me the same thing she told the doctor who first diagnosed her "Don't be sorry, I'm going to beat this."

A lot of the people I worked with in Anderson will probably fill the pages of this website with stories of Casey's short-time with us in Anderson.

I'll sum it up with this quote: "A friend is one who walks in when others walk out" -Walter Winchell

If any words could describe Casey Kane, it would be those.

As recently as a few weeks ago, I got a postcard from her wishing me luck with my new job with the IRL. She told me she was happy for me and mentioned she had become a big fan of driver Kasey Kahne.

When she left Anderson for the last time, she shed a couple of tears, but we didn't say goodbye.

"This is not goodbye. It's see you soon," I told her. She promised she would.

I guess I'll have to wait a little longer.

Arni worked with Casey at the Anderson Independent Mail.