Dear Editor:

As many know, we have just suffered the loss of one of our most heroic and valued members. Many met Sandie Nieman when the need for blood work took them to the lab and left with great appreciation for her delicate touch and excellent service. She was so good that her talents were employed when young children or babies were involved.

Sandie’s whole life was an uphill battle. This started when she was only a few days old. Both of her parents carried the Rh factor. Fortunately, her mother (my sister Eldora) noticed that things were not quite right and Sandie had to have a complete blood transfusion. At home she faced constant friction. Sandie and her father were much alike, strong-willed people. She left home at a young age, surviving as best she could until she found her true calling in the medical profession as a phlebotomist.

Thankfully, Sandie finally met the love of her life, Ed Nieman. There was a fairy tale wedding and a wonderful windjammer cruise. Following this, she unwell and assumed she might have caught a cold. It was far worse. The breast cancer she was in remission from had metastasized and spread to her bones. Sandie had suffered from chronic ill-health alll her life, something few realized as she didn’t show it and never complained. She faced this challenge with the same stamina and courage. The few who saw Sandie and Ed kayaking, walking or swimming wouldn’t have guessed she was battling an incurable disease. She simply refused to give up.

Her last few years were the happiest of her life. On her last Christmas, she made wreaths for her family, the family cemetery plots and the Opera House. She hosted a family Christmas Eve get-together and made seafood stew.

Sandie did more living in her too-short marriage than some do in a lifetime.

It is a privilege and honor to call her my niece.

Frances Bredeau

Boothbay Harbor