Ann DeMatteo was far from a loser as your headline declares. She did not lose her battle with cancer, she died because of it.
Death is a part of life, and as Elisabeth Kubler-Ross said, death is the final stage of growth. We need to accept it and let it bring meaning to our lives and stop avoiding even using the word death when somebody dies instead of some expression like lost, passed, moved on and more.
The purpose of life is for us to make a difference, and Ann did that. Her life and what she shared with all of us makes her a winner and immortal.
As someone commented in the article about her love remaining. Yes! Love is immortal and makes all things immortal while hate dies every minute.
The best part of Ann remains with us forever in the love that she shared with us. Her article sharing the "I can't versus the I can" was very meaningful to me and my family.
Ann interviewed me years ago and I shared through emails to her how meaningful her column was. Again, I repeat, she was not a loser, nor did she fight a battle or war with cancer. When you fight a war and focus on it, you empower your enemy. Ann never gave away her power to her disease. She focused on healing and learning from her experience and the people who cared for her and about her.
She lived the message that Mother Theresa taught. When asked to attend an anti-war rally, she answered, "I will not attend an anti-war rally, but if you ever have a peace rally call me."
Ann worked at healing her life and was a successful at doing so. We should all be proud of her and rest assured that though she is un-alive, she is also perfect again.
Bernie Siegel, MD