Access Hollywood’s Nancy O’Dell lost her mother, Betty, over the weekend, after a courageous battle against ALS.
Betty was special – relentlessly positive, with a strong faith in God and never an unkind word.
The silver linings in this deeply painful time for Nancy are these – it was quick after diagnosis so Betty didn’t suffer much and thus her mom will be remembered as she was known: full of life and love.
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Back in April, Nancy first revealed her mother was battling the ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, in hopes that it would raise awareness to help the fight.
“It’s so weird, it’s almost like an out of body experience because you always think that your parents are your rock, you think nothing is ever going to happen to them,” Nancy said in April. “To hear that someone so close to you is diagnosed with a disease, you think ‘This can’t be happening. This is not my parent you’re talking about,’ because you always picture your parents just being invincible.”
But Betty lived long enough to see Nancy truly happy.
She witnessed Nancy marry the man of her dreams three years ago, and she was there to hold her granddaughter, Ashby, in her arms when Nancy had her first child last year.
Nancy’s dad, Leonard, lost his soul mate, Nancy lost her best friend.
“If I am half the mom that she is, I will be an incredible mom,” Nancy said in April
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations be made in Betty’s honor to www.ALS-MDA.org.
Donations in memory of Betty can also be made to Muscular Dystrophy Association – ALS Division and mailed to 3300 E. Sunrise Drive, Tucson, AZ 85718.
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