Jennifer Goodman Linn, founder of the rare-cancer-research charity , died last month after a seven-year battle with sarcoma. She was 40.
Goodman Linn's story was featured on 51˶ a year ago.
Her death on the morning of July 20 "was peaceful, and she did not seem to be suffering," according to a guest post on her blog, . She was surrounded by loved ones, according to the post.
"Jen taught all of us to live fearlessly, and that each of us has the power to truly make a difference," a post on the Cycle for Survival website said. "She inspired us and countless others, and words cannot express how deeply she will be missed."
Since its inception in 2007, Cycle for Survival has generated $9 million for what Goodman Linn termed "orphan" cancer research at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). These include cancers that affect fewer than 200,000 patients a year, among them melanoma, ovarian, pancreatic, and all pediatric cancers.
The funds have supported a total of 13 trials and studies at MSKCC, according to a release from the center.
In 2004, Goodman Linn was diagnosed with malignant fibrous histiocytoma sarcoma -- also known as an undifferentiated high-grade pleiomorphic sarcoma -- of the abdomen, and endured various surgeries and chemotherapy regimens as the cancer recurred many times over.
She transformed her battle into an inspirational campaign to provide support for other cancer patients and raise funding and awareness of rare cancers. It was based on her love of spinning, or indoor cycling.
From an single-gym effort in Manhattan, Cycle for Survival expanded to events in several cities, including Chicago and San Francisco. A total of 4,500 riders participated in the fifth annual event last February, raising $4.65 million.
Gyms in Los Angeles and Washington D.C. will participate in the sixth annual event in February 2012, which is being co-ordinated with the help of Goodman Linn's husband Dave, co-founder of the charity.
Goodman Linn graduated from Duke University and Harvard Business School, holding prestigious marketing jobs along the way. She had worked for Nickelodeon and Ann Taylor, and continued developing strategies for Fortune 500 clients as she fought off her illness.
Indeed, she was inducted into the Energizer "Keep Going" in 2010.
At a memorial service held on July 22 at Riverside Memorial Chapel in Manhattan -- attended by more than 800 people, according to the Wall Street Journal -- Rabbi Peter Kasdan said in his eulogy that as a child, Goodman Linn had decided "she would not waste one breath to mediocrity, nor lose one moment to idleness."
In her , three days before her death, Goodman Linn wrote that she was "having a tough time" medically, "but we are doing all that we can to keep our heads high and make my pain and discomfort as manageable as possible."
She lamented not being able to respond to all of the emails she'd received from friends and family inquiring about her health, but thanked them at the very end of her post: "We can feel your love wherever we are, and we are grateful for that."