Honoring the Memory of Debra Sherman

Debra Sherman died yesterday in Chicago of lung cancer after more than a year of living with the disease. 

It's hard to believe that this vibrant, sweet and talented person is gone.

Debra was a mother of two. A wife. And a consumate professional. One of her legacies is her "Cancer in Context" blog, which ran on the Reuters wire, where she reported on health care for more than a decade. She also shared her writing on Reporting on Health with permission from her employer, writing posts through February of this year, despite her worsening health. 

"After learning of her own illness, she employed that expertise in fighting the disease and imparting to readers honest accounts of her experience," Reuters President and Editor-in-Chief Stephen Adler wrote in a memorial post. "Her 'Cancer in Context' blog attracted a wide following among oncologists, cancer patients and their loved ones.

We had the good fortune to get to know Debra when she joined us as a National Health Journalism Fellow in 2008. She was charming and funny -- and tough-minded in reporting a story.

Debra told me she had been diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer in May 2013. She was matter-of-fact, almost brisk, quickly moving on to the topic of the "Cancer in Context" blog and her interest in getting out the word on it. It was a source of pride and joy for her as she contended with all the medical and personal challenges of her battle with cancer. It gave her a sense of purpose, she told me. And, her kids were used to seeing her working. It was comforting to know that those routines continued. 

When the weather permitted, Debra wrote her blog in her garden, surrounded by dragon begonia and impatients. 

She initially wrote with the same reporting style she might have employed in a story about new developments in health care. All her posts were well-researched and clear-minded. But over time, her writing became more personal, touching on how her friendships had changed once she was diagnosed and how cancer survivors are treated in the workplace.

Last August, she wrote about telling her children of her illness:

I can put up with the medical aspects of cancer treatment: the pinch from needles to draw blood or infuse drugs into me, the noisy MRI and other scans for which I must stay perfectly still for long periods. I can deal with the outsized bills and confusing insurance statements for the many tests and treatments. And I can put up with the pitying looks people give me when I tell them I have cancer. What got me was having to tell my children — Alex, who’s 14, and Stella, just 11 — that I have a particularly dangerous form of cancer. It was by far the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.

In December, she criticized as pointless a study that showed that poorer people with cancer received less and poorer quality care.  

"Why are there so many obvious studies? Is it easier to get funding? Are they cheaper to execute? Is the bar lower? Or, am I just being too critical and harsh? After all, I am a stage 4 lung cancer patient who’s anxious for answers. I want someone to find a cure already!" 

Adler quotes from Debra's inaugural post as an example of her bravery and spirit:

"If there has been an upside to this dreaded disease," she wrote, "it is that people are so kind when they find out I have cancer, even nicer than when I was pregnant with my two children. Loved ones seem to love me more, or tell me so more often. Everyone wants to do things for me and offer help. The love has come from some unexpected people and warms my heart in indescribable ways. At times, the outpouring feels as if it could actually cure me."

If only.....

Rest in peace, Debra. You were loved by many.