Robert Redford RIP

[Ms. Toad]

45. His son died a few years ago of the same rare disease my daughter has.

We met him shortly after her diagnosis when we happened to be in the same city. He was there raising money in support of transplants; my daughter was there to take part in a clinical trial of a repurposed medication for their shared disease.

Jamie was the spitting image of his father . . . So it was quite surreal to be sitting in a hotel bar, casually chatting about poop with someone who looks just like someone I'd watched on the screen. Also interesting to hear the child's view of how Redford handled having a child with a serious medical condition.

The timing of this death is also interesting - my daughter and I just back yesterday from the annual international conference for that disease (primary sclerosing cholangitis). I hadn't thought about that 2009/10 meeting in years.