Before George was able to retire, however, Mary Anne came down with cancer and went through chemotherapy, causing her hair to fall out and her body to become frail due to the radiation. Mary Anne died a short time after, some four years before SG-1 visited Altair, affecting George for many years to come, and even then it still shocked him with how quick it had all happened. (SG1: "The First Amendment", "Tin Man")