Annie Goodman, a former Fox News producer for “Your World” and “Forbes on Fox,” died this morning after a three-year battle with triple negative breast cancer. She was 33.
In a tribute on “Your World” this afternoon, anchor Neil Cavuto described her as “always funny, always blunt, always fighting, never quitting.” (Video after the jump.)
“Annie knew her odds, but she also knew she wasn’t going down without a fight,” Cavuto said. “When I asked her about how it felt to be the face of the disease, leave it to Annie to zing back: ‘I’m just sorry I couldn’t offer a pretty face.’ She was pretty wrong.”
Goodman had worked for Fox News for more than a decade in a variety of positions, most of them on Cavuto’s show. (Annie was a friend and colleague with whom I worked for three years at Fox.) She was diagnosed with stage 2B breast cancer at the age of 30 and underwent several years of chemotherapy and radiation as the disease spread to her ovaries, lungs, and brain.
In the years since her diagnosis, Goodman spent her free time as a tireless cancer advocate. She was a co-host of “Stupid Cancer,” a radio talk show for children and teens with the disease, as well as an ambassador and fundraiser for the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation. Last year, she appeared in a PSA for Estee Lauder’s breast cancer awareness campaign. This year, she was part of a large group of women who appeared on both “Good Morning America” and “Today.”
In March, she sat down for a moving one-on-one interview on “Your World” to talk about the disease, telling Cavuto that her battle with cancer taught her to focus on the big picture — family, friends, life experiences — and not complain about little things.
Goodman, who will surely be remembered for her sense of humor (her last Tumblr post is titled “don’t worry, it’s not ebola”), was active on social media and continued to spread this message even after she had a stroke in October. In his tribute, Cavuto referenced a tweet she posted on October 28: “I beg of the world. Stop complaining. Find ways to be happy. Seriously. Dig deep. Even in my worst times, I still try. No matter how hard.”
“Leave it to a woman young enough to be my daughter to offer wisdom way, way beyond her years. And maybe, in this suddenly sadder holiday season, jar us back to things that matter in life,” Cavuto said. “Annie, you get the last word, but just this last time, because you left us speechless, kiddo.”
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