Gwyneth Shand dies after courageous fight

Gwyneth Shand, former Principal of Marabella Junior Secondary School and author of Murphy Unmasked!, died yesterday morning at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital after being diagnosed with “sarcoidosis”, followed by a stroke early this year. Shand’s valiant fight with her health problems made her a celebrity of sorts and she was featured on television programmes and served as an inspiration to many people who were ill. She always had a pleasant smile.

Sarcoidosis, a rare multi-system disease, is an inherited abnormality of certain cells of the immune system which results in inflamation of the lymph nodes, lungs, liver, eyes, skin, joints, kidneys and other tissues. Some patients (60 percent) have sarcoid for a period of two to three years and never have it again. There is no known cure for the disorder. Shand was 48. She leaves to mourn husband Larry and three sons Craig, Michael and Mark. Shand travelled to Florida in January for diagnosis of what she had been told by doctors was a “blood clot on her lungs”. In an effort to raise funds for her trip, Shand wrote the book Murphy Unmasked! which tells of her experience of  living with a series of illnesses and how she coped. She likened her situation to “Murphy’s Law” — the saying that “if anything can go wrong, it will”. Some of her illnesses included diabetes and sickle cell disease. She has had three caesarian sections, a tubal ligation, an appendectomy, a hysterectomy because of cervical cancer and a tonsillectomy, among other surgeries.

Despite her sicknesses, many described Shand as a “privilege” and “delight” to have known. “She was a fighter, always positive... She was full of life, vivacious. Even when she was sick she always wanted to look good, and it was a blessing to be around her,” said her sister, Associate Editor of the Catholic News, June Johnston. “People who read her book said that if Gwyneth went through all of that, then ‘we could do it too’.” Shand was a member of the St Theresa RC Church choir. She played the steelpan and one of her great desires was to sing in a calypso tent. Shand also taught at Pleasantville Senior Comprehensive and Cedros Composite schools. Funeral arrangements have not yet been made.