Last post made in chronicle of Ken Bradbury’s final days

By Benjamin Cox on November 18, 2018 at 7:42pm

The community of West Central Illinois is in mourning after news of Ken Bradbury’s death made its way on to the internet Sunday.

Ken Bradbury was a very well-celebrated teacher, performer, theatrical director and playwright. He taught at Triopia High School for over three decades, had been teaching as an adjunct professor of theater at Lincoln Land in Jacksonville, and wrote over 300 theatrical plays that have been published. Ken had kept a blog of creative writing to stay mentally sharp as he battles the afflictions of esophageal cancer in his penultimate time on Earth. The website where he had been posting them is called Caring Bridge. Ken’s last personally written post was on Sunday the 11th. The subject of the post is ‘Keepin on…… Keepin on.’

Caring Bridge “Ken Bradbury Blog” Link

Bradbury’s last personal message in the chronicle reads: What can I say? It’s rough. It’s tiring. It’s a gut punch. Want my personal, non-medical but most reliable opinion? They released me too soon from the hospital. The day I entered the place someone mentioned that it’d probably take 14 days…or 21… I forget which…but miraculously they cured me on the final day they’d predicted. If the insurance industry is going to determine my course of healing they could have at least sent a card. Forgive me…I feel awful and this is called Caring Bridge…so thanks for sending your caring over that bridge.” Ken’s brother Keith and sister-in-law Nancy also wrote updates in the collection. The day after Ken’s post, Keith and Nancy gave an update that doctors determined Ken had contracted pneumonia. In the six days that came after, Ken spoke a little with many family members before passing away yesterday.

You will need to have an email address, or a Google or Facebook account in order to make a Caring Bridge account, but then the whole Ken Bradbury Story is available. To prove it, the very first post is entitled “The First trip across the river”. It was written on March 29th of last year, and you can read the whole blog without paying a penny.