Dr. Carolyn Thompson, the wife of UTC Chancellor Roger Brown.The first lady of UTC and Chancellor Roger Brown’s wife, Carolyn Thompson, died Friday after an extended battle with bone marrow cancer.
Thompson – known around campus for her humor and candor – was diagnosed with myelofibrosis last summer. Brown had been splitting his time between Nashville and Chattanooga, so he could be with Thompson as she underwent treatments at Vanderbilt Hospital.
“This is a strong campus, and I appreciate your support during this difficult time for my family,” Brown wrote in February email to faculty and staff when her health went south again. “We truly could not get through this without the support and love we feel coming from our campus family. Thank you and I look forward to reporting good news very soon.”
But a bone marrow transplant she received in August was rejected by her body and the illness progressed. She was 66 years old.
She shared the heart-wrenching and, at times, gut-busting details of her illness on a blog she kept with the help of her husband.