Rest in Peace, Steve Jobs

When a fellow cancer warrior dies, it's hard not to take it personally. Today, we lost Steve Jobs to pancreatic cancer. And while I'm still processing the news that this true genius has passed away, I can't shake my feelings of sadness and anger. Sadness that such an incredible person has died when he clearly had so much more to contribute to the lives of his loved ones and to the world, and so much more to enjoy. Anger because cancer deprived him of the opportunity to do these things.

I'm also feeling pride, though. Proud that Steve Jobs fought cancer with everything he had and beat the odds several times over. Pancreatic cancer is incredibly aggressive and, in Steve's case, he certainly wasn't projected to live seven years after his diagnosis. But he did live, and how. We should all be so fortunate as to make such an incredible impact on the world. I am deeply grateful for his contributions not only as an innovator, but as a cancer warrior. He showed others how to fight the disease and live much, much longer than any doctor would have expected -- and how to do it with grace, brilliance, and passion.

I stumbled upon a quote earlier today that rings so true to me. It describes precisely how I've lived my life since my diagnosis on September 19, 2010. The quote is from Steve Jobs' Commencement Address at Stanford University several years ago, and truly captures the liberating aspect of a cancer diagnosis. 

Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

 Rest in Peace, Steve Jobs. And thank you for reminding all of us to follow our hearts.