Legacy MattersOne of the more familiar phrases we hear during Lent is "ashes to ashes, dust to dust." I always thought it came from the Bible until I learned from Ken Collins that the phrase comes from the funeral service of the Book of Common Prayer. Wherever it comes from, ashes to ashes, dust to dust reminds us that life is short.
Ivan Noble had a short life and died at 37 early this month but not without leaving behind a Great Legacy.
Ivan was a BBC journalist who was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in 2002. What he decided to do with this terrible twist of fate was to write about it online in a blog he called "Tumor Diary." As the BBC reported that his blog was read by 100,000 people a day
He movingly described his odyssey of chemotherapy and brain surgery, his marriage, the birth of a baby son last year, and a surge of hope -- quickly dashed -- that the brain tumour was in retreat.
But in a final posting on Thursday, Noble wrote: "This is my last diary. I have written it ahead of time because I knew there would be a point when I was not well enough to continue.
"That time has now come."
In an appreciation of Ivan, his colleague Simon Fraser wrote
Ivan felt his main achievement against cancer was that he didn't surrender to fear.
Sure, he had many low points along the way. But, somehow, he kept going, kept his dignity and learnt to get something out of just about every day.
A sense of humour was never far away
When Ivan was first told he had a tumour, his daughter was just six months old. He was days away from going part-time at work to help care for her. Illness changed the kind of father he could be. Balancing his needs with those of a young family was desperately hard, but his children gave him enormous delight. Ivan died having done much to promote awareness of cancer. He was hugely proud that his diaries would be published as a book. ....Ivan died surrounded by love from his wife and children, his parents, brother and friends.....
He kept winning a little bit every day, because he managed to conquer fear.
Ivan made something good out of bad, responded with strength to a situation in which he seemed powerless, with gratefulness to his medical team and his colleagues at the BBC and with overarching love for his family including a new baby. By sharing his journey with tens of thousands online, he heartened other cancer patients and helped them deal better with their own personal struggles and triumphs. By writing, he created a lasting legacy.
In the end Ivan proved he deserved his name. He was truly Noble. Requiescat In Pace.
