The Coast of Pacific Beach Restaurant Walk
- Photo by David Rolland
Kia started with us as an intern in January 2005 and later joined our writing staff; it didn’t take us long to see her abundant natural talent for storytelling. She wrote about visual artists, nudists, cabbies, female bikers and even a man who lived in a Tijuana bathroom, as well as topics like sex and sexuality, food and energy efficiency. Probably her best and most memorable story was an in-depth piece about the psychoactive drug ibogaine and its use in Mexico to treat addiction (“Ibogaine: The new frontier of psychedelic addition therapy,” March 1, 2006). Three years after she stepped foot in our office, she was off on an adventure that took her to Central Mexico, Central California and Massachusetts, where she met Annie Clarke, whom she married last fall.
Kia documented her 10-month experience with lymphoma in a blog, californicancercation.blogspot.com, an inspiring diary filled with humor, insight and character, recommended especially for folks dealing with sudden serious illness. She was a special sort of person—fearless, smart, funny, warm and sweet, a genuine free spirit. We’ll miss her more than words can express.
To honor her, we ask you to consider joining the National Bone Marrow Registry, if you haven’t done so already. Become a potential donor at marrow.org.
