Anne Glauber is still changing the world.
She may have lost her battle with cancer, but her legacy is alive and well. Not only did she dream of and co-found NO MORE, but she turned a fatal prognosis into the impetus to help pancreatic cancer patients everywhere.
She was, in short, a woman in full.
When I think of Anne, I see those soulful eyes of hers, hear that soft voice — sometimes punctuated by a wonderful raucous laugh. She had the warmest of hearts and toughest of wills. She would dream big and somehow – with a gentle tug at your sleeve – get you to come along on her amazing life journey. I was lucky enough to share her path for nearly a decade.
It was Anne (along with Jane Randel and many others) who pulled together leaders of domestic violence and sexual assault groups back in 2009 – a meeting that became the genesis of NO MORE. Then, like the superb mother she was, Anne nurtured this fluttering little fledgling until the 2013 launch, and ever since. She talked me into taking the Director role with three little words – “It’s you, Virginia” – and who could ever say no to her?
During the campaign’s rapid ascent, Anne’s strategic smarts and deep wisdom were always our true north. As we engaged hundreds, then thousands, then millions, whether it was a newscaster, a brave survivor, a football player or a college activist, Anne could talk to everyone and be everywhere she was needed. She kvelled with pride over NO MORE.
Little did we know — her finest hour still lay ahead.
One awful afternoon a few years ago, Anne called to tell me that she had pancreatic cancer and had been given just six months to live. Most people would have been flattened by this news – but not Anne. She used this fatal turn as an opportunity to help others. She spearheaded a new effort to connect patients battling this disease with life-saving information. Private as she was, she shared her personal fight against cancer on a Huffington Post blog. Again, she is making a difference to untold numbers of people and her legacy will last.
At this moment in history, when times are so dark, when we are surrounded by the selfish and shallow, Anne’s passing is like a beautiful flare in the night sky. As in life, her death has deep meaning and purpose for everyone. She reminds all of us of what matters, how to stand up for what is right, and how to live and love. She has left us to join the stars.