Don't Quit...

 He was a boxer long before he was a politician.

And that fighting spirit took him toe to toe with a formidable diagnosis of pancreatic cancer in 2017.

Harry Reid passed away yesterday at the age of 82... 4 years after that devastating diagnosis.

We are remembering him, and holding his family up in prayer today.  Loss is always hard, but never more so than during the holiday season...

Praying Grace and Comfort over all who are struggling with grief and heartbreak this day,

Always,

Jane

Pancreatic Cancer Does Not Define this Life

Yesterday we lost a civil rights legend... to pancreatic cancer...

John Lewis

There is a deep grief for his loss... for a nation, for his friends, but most of all for his loved ones.  

John Lewis served as a US congressman for more than 3 decades and was a passionate advocate in the pursuit of civil rights.  And while that is how the world knows him, his family shared their hearts yesterday...

"It is with inconsolable grief and enduring sadness that we announce the passing of U.S. Rep. John Lewis.  He was honored and respected as the conscience of the US Congress and an icon of American history, but we knew him as a loving father and brother.

He was a stalwart champion in the on-going struggle to demand respect for the dignity and worth of every human being.  He dedicated his entire life to non-violent activism and was an outspoken advocate in the struggle for equal justice in America.

He will be deeply missed."

When Congressman Lewis was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer 6 months ago, he vowed to fight the disease in a vulnerable and honest statement, 

"I have been in some kind of fight - for freedom, equality, basic human rights - for nearly my entire life.  I have never faced a fight quite like the one I have now."

Pancreatic Cancer is a formidable foe.  It levels the playing field with a ruthless intensity.

Many have faced the same battle.  And fought hard.

Ultimately Pancreatic Cancer won the war that John Lewis fought valiantly.

But Pancreatic Cancer does not have the last word.

It does not define the life of John Lewis.

His legacy is one of tenancious courage, facing the struggle of inequality head-on with passion and faith.  He led with an unshakeable belief in the value of every life... for we all live in the same house.

"We all live in the same house."

                                 ~ John Lewis

So let's carry on together... in the fight before us.

 I believe Congressman Lewis would expect nothing less.

Prayers and Peace to his beloved family this night.

The Celebrity Faces of Pancreatic Cancer

Statistics can be so deceiving...

Out of the approximately 325 million people living in America, just a relatively small number will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer... that's only 55,000 out of the 325 million or 1 in 65.  Not such bad odds, unless you are that 1 in 65.

You may be surprised by how many well-known people have struggled with the pancreatic cancer beast in the past few years...

Aretha Franklin, Singer-Songwriter, passed away from pancreatic cancer on August 16, 2018.  Her voice... the Queen of Soul gets all our RESPECT...

Bonnie Franklin, Actress, passed away from pancreatic cancer March 1, 2013.  Bonnie was best known for her role as the single mother in the series One Day at a Time.

Pat Conroy, Author, passed away on March 4, 2016 from pancreatic cancer.  He was best known for authoring The Prince of Tides and The Great Santini.

Sir John Hurt, English Actor, passed away on January 25, 2017 from pancreatic cancer.  Known for many iconic roles, from The Elephant Man to Harry Potter.

Alan Rickman, English Actor, passed away from pancreatic Cancer on January 14, 2016.  He is best known in our family for his role as Hans Gruber in the Die Hard movies, others may know him better as Professor Snape from the Harry Potter series.

Steve Jobs, cofounder of Apple, passed away on October 5, 2011 from pancreatic cancer.

Sally Ride, Astronaut, passed away from pancreatic cancer on July 23, 2012.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court Justice, pancreatic cancer survivor, underwent surgery to remove cancerous tumor in 2009

So, so many lives are being forever changed by this horrific disease.  And so, so many are battling this cancer with a grace and grit that forever changes the way I respond to trials and suffering...

In honor of the thousands that have raised their hand to be counted in the battle, my heart just takes wing.

Alan Rickman shared a beautiful insight before he passed and it resonates deeply as we walk through this Stories of Love series,

"And it's a human need to be told stories.  The more we're governed by idiots and have no control over our destinies, the more we need to tell stories to each other about who we are, why we are, where we come from, and what might be possible."

Oh, it's so true... our stories are the light that gives hope as we journey this unpredictable road to what might be possible.

We carry the torch for those following behind...

Fighting Pancreatic Cancer is a battle that we lean in to every. single. day.

Fighting for Hope... Fighting for Healing... Fighting for a Cure...

... so that our stories resound with the Glorious Possibilities of all that might be!

Joining hands in Grace, Together Always,

                                                                   Jane