Fitzie married Gregg Petersmeyer in September, 1975. Following a year in England where Gregg was finishing graduate work at Oxford, they attended Harvard Business School together and both joined McKinsey Company in New York. By the summer of 1982, Charles Wrede II (February 8, 1981) and Whitney Fitzgerald (July 14, 1982) had arrived. Fitzie and Gregg moved to Denver where Fitzie restored an old house and then welcomed Frances Devon (November 2, 1983) to the family.
Fitzie’s illness came as a great shock. In the winter of 1984, she seemed to have contracted a persistent case of hepatitis. But by late May, she was diagnosed to be suffering from a rare liver disease called sclerosing cholangitis which may have started several years before. The disease is progressive, incurable and fatal. To save her life Fitzie was given a liver transplant on July 8th at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Her transplant was the fifth in the history of the hospital and took place within days of when Fitzie would have died. The transplant was successful. However, during the operation the surgeons found a malignant tumor in the area affected by the sclerosing cholangitis. In addition, the cancer was found to have spread to several lymph nodes. These were removed when the new liver was transplanted. The hope was that the cancer had spread no further.
Fitzie made a remarkable recovery from the transplant. She returned to Denver in early September, happy and anxious to get on with her life. But in late October, it was discovered that the cancer had spread further prior to the transplant. Despite intensive chemotherapy and radiation therapy in Boston, Fitzie was never able to get ahead of the cancer. She died at Mass General on February 15, 1985 at the age of 33.
It is not possible to adequately describe the way Fitzie handled her illness other than to say that she never changed. She brought to the most difficult part of her life the same grace, dignity and great determination that characterized her always. “As a young girl or as a very sick woman the smile was always there, expressing her keen intelligence and unflagging sense of humor,” noted a dear friend. She was alert, optimistic, and confident.
Fitzie’s handling of her own illness is perhaps best reflected in the thoughts of doctors at Mass General who wrote about Fitzie in letters to Gregg. One of her doctors wrote:
“You know how highly the entire staff regarded Fitzie. I was continually impressed with her unbelievable courage and strength to bounce back despite the medical setbacks. Her courage, vitality, and her love of life and those around her, I think provided her with a fuller life than many people without medical problems achieve over many more years.”
Another of Fitzie’s physicians, in summing up his feelings about her, expressed the hope of those establishing The Fitzie Foundation that Fitzie’s example will continue to inspire not only those closest to her but others as well:
“Our relationship with Fitzie and her family has touched us all profoundly. Perhaps we can take consolation from the fact that Fitzie spent her life setting high standards for herself and not just meeting, but surpassing them. I am in awe of the determination and spunk with which she approached her series of final battles. As difficult as it is to think about it now, I hope the children will learn as they grow up just how wonderful their mother was – not to think with sadness about her loss but to stand tall as her physical and spiritual heirs and to take pride in her legacy… I hope that eventually, when the grief is spent, you will be able to look back and revel in the miracle of Fitzie.”
