They never married, and still don't see the need.

"We're compatible and we love each other … and have the same interests — fighting for people's rights," said Dorio, who, along with Clough, pushed for legislation — signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom — giving families more authority to determine medical decisions for loved ones even in the absence of an advance directive. Dorio had also served on the L.A. County Commission for Older Adults.

Facing her grim diagnosis, Clough and Dorio leaned on each other and on Janene, Catie and Amy. There were weekly Zoom meetings to bolster spirits and share information about emerging therapies.

I'd gotten to know Dorio a little bit over the years, having tagged along on his house calls, so I was copied on the periodic updates on Clough's status that he mailed to friends and family. She beat the three-to-six-month prediction, and in July of 2023 Dorio wrote to say she was better, "but still has a ways to go."

By then, she'd undergone seven consecutive weeks of chemotherapy and radiation, suffering skin burns on her neck from the latter. A metastatic lesion was surgically removed from her leg. Dorio took Clough to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston on a recommendation from Cedars-Sinai.

"To all our friends and family," Dorio wrote in that July update, "seeking a second opinion and being persistent in researching and asking questions of your doctor team is very important, no matter what the diagnosis might be. It is physically and emotionally a roller coaster. But we have been given wonderful support from our family and many of you in the community. We will provide help and guidance in the future should you need it."

In Houston, medical staff queried Clough about her family history. "This cancer is mostly caused by radiation exposure," Clough said, "and one of the first things they asked me … was where did you grow up?"

Her answer was Arizona, downwind from nuclear weapons testing in nearby Nevada in the 1940s and '50s that contaminated water, soil and food sources for years.

I asked Clough if she had seen the Oscar-winning movie "Oppenheimer," about the creation of the first nuclear weapons.

"I won't watch it," she said firmly.

...continued

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