Ginger's favorite activities included camping and hiking, interests that she shared with her doting husband Greg. The two fell in love at Philmont Boy Scout Ranch, where Ginger was a medic for several summers, and married in 1996. Ginger was still in her residency in Houston when she and Greg started their family. She was the proud mother of two beautiful and precocious boys, William (11) and Samuel (8). Together, the family enjoyed gardening and travelling. They made a final memory-filled trip to Hawaii during a rare break in treatment in October.

From the time she was five years old, Ginger traveled ten miles or more each way for piano lessons. Her raw talent and competitive nature spurred her through the hours of practice (and siblings' mumblings) required to succeed. When assigned the task of memorizing a complex classical piece, she chose Chopin's masterpiece Fantasie Impromptu over the objections of her professor who argued that it was beyond her skill level. In characteristic form, she succeeded in proving him wrong. No matter how busy her life was, she found refuge in music. She remained the family accompanist to the end, playing a set of hymns from her wheelchair while family and friends sang this Christmas.

Ginger's infamous childhood proneness to accidents and unusual ailments, coupled with a fondness for her physician grandfather, likely contributed to her pursuit of a career in medicine. With a natural curiosity and love of reading, she fully dedicated herself to her studies, graduating at the top of her class at Valley Center High School in 1988. Her high marks earned her academic scholarships to Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas, where she completed degrees in Chemistry and Biology in 1992. While at Southwestern, she was awarded a Barry Goldwater Scholarship, a prestigious award for students who have made a contribution to the field of science, math, or engineering. After an interview that included a discussion about baseball, a subject about which she knew nothing, Ginger was accepted to the University of Kansas Medical School. She graduated with honors, then completed residencies in pediatrics and internal medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

Ginger's intellect and superior training made her a good doctor; but her genuine interest in her patients made her a great one. In 2006, she founded her own practice, Salina Pediatric Care, on the principle of "friendly, exceptional care." In the words of one family, she talked "to … children instead of over them" and treated "them like they [were] real people." With kids, Ginger was patient and caring; but behind the scenes she was an unrelenting businesswoman and tireless advocate for quality care. In recent years, she has been active in the health-care debate, sharing challenges with elected officials.

When Ginger was diagnosed in October 2008 with inflammatory breast cancer, a rare aggressive form of the disease, her husband Greg said "Of course it's aggressive cancer. She's an aggressive woman and she'll fight it aggressively." In order to protect her fragile immune system, Ginger had to shed some of her characteristic independence and ask for help. She received an outpouring of support from friends and colleagues who made extraordinary efforts to help with meals and cover her appointments. Ginger hoped that everyone who helped her would "be blessed as much as they've blessed me." Those who knew her were blessed by her dry wit, larger-than-life personality, and unrelenting devotion. Despite an aggressive fight that included the vigilant care of oncologists and physicians and multiple trips to specialists nationwide, Dr. Ginger Senseman died on Monday, December 28, 2009, one day after her 40th birthday.

Dr. Senseman is survived by her devoted husband Greg, beloved boys William (11) and Samuel (8), parents William Jack and Linda Cauble of El Dorado, brother David Cauble of Scottsbluff, Nebraska, twin sisters Bethany Janssen of Wichita and Christy Davis of Topeka, grandparents Jack and Virginia Swalley. She is grieved by many more. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Philmont Staff Association, the First Presbyterian Church or the Senseman Education Fund. Funeral arrangements are by Ryan Mortuary. Services will be held at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, January 2, 2010 at Salina's First Presbyterian Church, where the Senseman's are members.