My dear friend Meg passed away yesterday. Fortunately, I was able to visit the hospital and tell her how profound of an influence she had on my life before she passed. I pray that she heard me. This is my favorite picture of Meg although you can't see her. She is the one with her back to the camera being hugged. Meg was such a powerful force that you couldn't resist wanting to hug her and be a part of her aura. The year was 2005 and she had just ridden cross-country with Lance Armstrong to raise awareness for cancer research. While she was riding in the Tour of Hope, I was in a hospital bed receiving my first round of chemotherapy. I was so scared and had no way to know how to handle what was ahead of me. Meg and I had not yet met but she sent me pictures and emails offering hope and guidance from every state she visited on her cancer tour. Immediately after she returned, she came to meet me in the hospital and our "official" friendship began. The truth is, she had me at "hello" in her first email. I will forever be grateful for the impact she had on my life. She taught me so much in such a short period of time and I just wish we had more time together. I thought the best way to pay tribute to Meg was to post what some of her friends and family have written about her. From Lance Armstrong via twitter:
Just heard that 1 of my Tour of Hope teammates, Meg Berte-Owen, passed today - what a loss. Rode across America on just 1 lung! May she RIP
. Some of my fondest memories of Meg were when I was no more than 4 or 5 years old. She was baby-sitting my sister and I and she let me run around in our back yard in my new spiderman pajamas. My parents never let me do such a thing (especially after taking a shower before bedtime!) so Meg won major points in my Meg played such an important role in my life. When I was overwhelmed with my cancer diagnosis and didn't know what "hope" looked like, Meg walked into my hospital room and showed me...in her words, in her actions and in her heart. When it seemed like no one understand what I was going through, Meg always did. She always knew exactly the right things to say and guessed my thoughts, feelings and frustrations before I could even tell her. She became a mentor and a role model to me...and I know that she will continue to guide me going forward. She has forever changed my life for the better and I feel truly blessed to have known her...if only for a short while book. Another time, I remember that she let me watch Michael Jackson's recently released "Thriller" video on MTV. My parents would not Jess or I watch MTV and although I had nightmares for weeks after watching the video, I thought Meg was so cool for letting us watch it. Having known Meg for my entire life, I have always been impressed with not only her courage and determinati on but her fun-loving and down-to-ear th personality. Not only in being an All-American in soccer, overcoming cancer, attending Harvard and HBS, working on top Wallstreet firms, but in being such a genuine, loving and special individual. She was a thoughtful and caring person, one who will surely never be forgotten. I’ve been thinking so much about Meg and about how I (all of us) can possibly take something positive away from all of this. I realized that since surviving her early battles with cancer when she almost didn’t make it, she must have realized that she had been given the gift of extra years of life. She also may have realized that she might not have the luxury of a long life. I think she really lived her life like someone who had been given a gift, and I think the best way to honor her (for me at least) is to try to live life like she did. She lived large and she loved life and that is what I want to do. May her memory be a blessing. "The real meaning in all of our lives comes not so much from the accomplishments that we list on our resumes but from the deep connections we make with other people. People who share themselves authentically with us, their yearnings, their failures, their courage, and their love." - Maria Shriver Today I am going to thank Courtney Smith Rae for introducing me to Meg Berte in 2003. We had coffee in Grand Central. Meg and I compared cancer war stories. Her story made mine sound like a bad hair day. SiX years ago, almost to the day, Meg wrote me this email: After I 'survived' I had three years of hell (and this was AFTER treatment). My intestine was mangled, I lost 30 pounds and the doctors didn't know how I might be able to keep food down-I couldn't get surgery to repair my intestine b/c of all the chemo. Then, one month after the other, both of my lungs collapsed when I was at HBS. I was so angry! I had endured years of treatment to keep being bombarded with issues, month after month...but, eventually things calmed down and the problems stopped. My doctors say that I am an example of someone where everything can go wrong and I am stil here!! I think about your health all the time, and you seem to be responding to the tough stuff by living like a rockstar. I applaud you! Life is only today and whatever happens to either of us, we will always know that we lived lifetimes in whatever time we are allotted. You are my hero again and again. thank you Meg. Meg's story is in the Survivors chapter of "More Than 85 Broads". She was a dazzling ray of sunshine. In 2005, she told me that she wanted to ride in the Tour of Hope with Lance Armstrong. Meg had become an avid cyclist and she really wanted to make the team but there were only 23 spots. I recently told a group of woman at Wharton that it's not who you meet, it's who you connect. I connected Meg to 85 Broads rockstar Karen Cook who was on Lance's foundation board. Karen connected Meg to Lance and the rest was history. There is a phenomenal picture of Lance steadying Meg's bIke at one point during the Tour of Hope. That picture is worth 1000 words. You are my hero Meg and always will be. There are no appropriate words to adequately convey our feelings. Meg was a beautiful woman, both inside and out. So caring, so passionate, so bright. We admired her spunk, her selflessness, and the kindness she extended to our daughter, another "Cancer Chick." We share a deep sadness with you, but we know Meg will live on in the hearts and memories of many. Meg played such an important role in my life. When I was overwhelmed with my cancer diagnosis and didn't know what "hope" looked like, Meg walked into my hospital room and showed me...in her words, in her actions and in her heart. When it seemed like no one understand what I was going through, Meg always did. She always knew exactly the right things to say and guessed my thoughts, feelings and frustrations before I could even tell her. She became a mentor and a role model to me...and I know that she will continue to guide me going forward. She has forever changed my life for the better and I feel truly blessed to have known her...if only for a short while.