Debbie Ford: Self-Help Author Dies at 57 After Battling Cancer

Debbie Ford, author of the bestselling self-help book “The Dark Side of the Light Chasers,” died at her home in San Diego on Sunday after a long battle with cancer. She was 57.

“The Dark Side of the Light Chasers,” which made Ford famous in 1998, spawned a self-help enterprise for her. The book aims to help readers overcome their darker side.

"The evolution of one’s own soul is a process," Ford wrote on her website. "It’s not a quick fix. It’s not a five day workshop. It’s a lifetime process where we let go, discover and then allow for futures to come into existence."

Arielle, Ford's sister and her literary agent, wrote a tribute on the self-help expert's website, debbieford.com, called "Defying Gravity."

"Debbie wasn’t just my little sister. She was my friend, teacher, biggest supporter, and sometimes unmanageable client," Arielle wrote. "She was always stubborn which served her well these past two and half years when she defied the odds of cancer. I'll never forget the day one doctor told her in September 2010 to get her affairs in order because she was ready for hospice. She told him to F-off, that there was no way she was dying."

Ford wrote eight other books, led workshops, and hosted TV and radio shows related to the topic. Aside from "The Dark Side of the Light Chasers," her books that she is known for are "Spiritual Divorce" and "The Secret of the Shadow," the sequel to "Dark Side." To relate to fans and inspire them, she often shared her battles with drug addiction, divorce, and other personal struggles.

Ford founded the Global Heart of Integrative Coaching, a nonprofit organization that builds schools. The organization helped build an educational system for the children of Kiwanula, Uganda, a remote village with a surrounding community of 30,000 people.

She is survived by her sister, mother, son, and brother.

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