I think the best way to deal with illness or tragedy is to find something to do that will keep your mind off it.
The summer after my mother died I made 350 jars of jam and pickles and was also working full time.
The summer after my father died I had 124 plants in containers to take care of
My second thought was....maybe she had the only entries!!!
NPR would never tell us that (I didn’t read the article!!)...
At our county fair in TX, we used to have a whole building of food, plantings, quilts, etc. Now, you get one per category. Very sad. No home economics classes in high school I guess...and you can tell as homes are about prepackaged food.
Perhaps her leukemia has re-emerged and she in in a hospital OR has passed away!! The good Lord gave her the strength to complete all of these tasks and leave her mark in a small way!!