Remembering Ellen Reed

We are extremely saddened to say that on August 9, 2024, Ellen Reed passed away. Ellen was a valued member of both the AdvanceOvarianCancer.net community and the SocialHealthNetwork.com community, and she was an incredible advocate and avid writer. We are so honored that Ellen shared her story and so much of her experience with our community. She will be deeply missed.

Ellen was a believer that everyone had a story worthy to tell

Her story began with the early loss of her father to brain cancer when she was in her teens. His dying influenced her passion to make a difference in healthcare, especially in the care of dying patients and their families.

Knowing she needed to “connect many dots” in academic and healthcare systems, Ellen was ultimately recognized in October 2020 by NYU’s Rory Meyers College of Nursing Distinguished Alumni Award for recognition of extraordinary achievement, leadership, the innovation of her career, and the advancement of nursing. Much like others before her, Ellen stayed at the bedside of dying patients, established a private practice in grief and loss, and enabled the development of a Hospice and Palliative Care Program within her rural hospital in North Carolina.

In 2018, Ellen became a consumer of cancer care when a “simple hernia” was diagnosed as Stage 3C Metastatic Ovarian Cancer with a prognosis of about 3-4 years. Ellen was privileged to receive care close to home by the very staff with whom she collaborated in another part of her career. She lived in Western North Carolina with her amazing husband of 40 years and is survived by two sons, two daughters-in-law, and two grandchildren.

With respect and awe for the professional life in which she lived; Ellen published her book, Someone, to Watch Over You: Finding Your Strength Within in May 2020 to carry her legacy of encouragement and healing for years to come.

We will miss you, Ellen

We are so honored to have worked with and gotten to know Ellen over these past few years. Ellen consistently showed us her kindness, care, and generosity. She also showed us her relentless dedication to advocacy, writing articles for us up until the very end of her life. She knew the importance of sharing her truths to allow others to feel less alone.

You can read all of Ellen's articles on AdvancedOvarianCancer.net here, and all of her articles on TheSocialHealthNetwork.com here.