Comments on: Dr. Anna Maria Masellis

By: Nancy Reilly-Wohl

Nancy Reilly-Wohl — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 16:47:36 +0000

I read about Anna in Self magazine and only now thought to recheck on her journey. It is with a sad heart I learned she left us. What a tragic loss not only to her adoring family but to all of us. The passion with which she founght against this awful disease (I lost my mother 21 yrs ago to) was a gift to all of us with the knowledge and inspiration it provided. Losing someone you love so much only provides one with the knowledge that you can never lose them in your heart…there she will remain & live on in you.

By: Beverly Roberts

Beverly Roberts — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 01:04:49 +0000

To the family of Anna Masellis,

I contacted Anna in 2007 because my husband had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in Dec. 2006. He responded very well to the initial innovative chemo treatments, and I was searching for additional treatments that might continue to be helpful for him. I read an article about Anna’s wonderful success and reached out to her. I was a complete stranger, but she responded to me with warmth and kindness and was very helpful in sharing her vast knowledge of treatments that had helped her. My last contact with Anna was in July, 2008 shortly after my husband died from this dreadful cancer. After my husband passed away, I had lost touch with Anna. I just learned about Anna’s passing, and I am profoundly saddened. I would like her family to know how very helpful Anna was to me and to my husband. I send you all my deepest condolences on this tragic loss.

Sincerely,
Beverly Roberts

By: Penny Tonry

Penny Tonry — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 03:13:50 +0000

Dear Matthew, Danielle, and Mrs. Masellis,
I learned today of Anna’s passing. I had left several messages on her cell in the last month and yesterday left a message at the house. I got a call back telling me of her passing.
Anna and I were friends when we both started working at Cooks of Crocus Hill nine years ago. She was a wiz at cooking and she was lots of fun to work with. We took walks most mornings around the neighborhood when she lived on Holly. And I remember how excited she would get when “the kids” were coming, or her Mom and Dad. She loved you all so much and clearly thought you were the very best kids and parents. We had a great time driving out to Maine together and she so wanted to have you see the coast of Maine.
Later, when she bought her house, we had fun finding furnishings for your bedrooms. I know she bought the house so she would have more room for you to come to live. Never doubt that she loved you more than anything. She was a good friend to me and I have missed her and will continue to miss her for a very long time. If I can ever help you out, just let me know. Penny Tonry

By: Jeannie and Andrew Salinas

Jeannie and Andrew Salinas — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 15:24:48 +0000

Dear Maria, Danielle, and Matthew:

Our family loved Anna. We are blessed to have known her. She is an inspiration to me and one of my daughters, now 9, after meeting her as a 4 year old, decided to “be a scientist” as a result and still wants to be one, just like you… I knew Anna from working at VPCI on a temporary assignment. We hit it off one day in passing, and, became friends…I was always envious of her killer arms…Everyone should learn to have such beautiful muscles in their arms! I cherish going out to coffee, coming over with Andrew my spouse, and our girls to visit while he did handy man work while our kids ran up and down both sides of your stairs all around the house! I miss you dear Anna, and I will pray for you and hope you will pray for all of us that are still here…It never will hurt us to have a friend in heaven helping us down here…Thank you Maria, Danielle and Matthew for sharing your mom with all of us who knew her…We will keep your family in our prayers and love always…

By: Matthew Masellis-Smith

Matthew Masellis-Smith — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 07:37:35 +0000

Thank you all from the bottom of my and my families heart.

My mother touched many people and to hear all these stories is an inspiration for my sister and I to keep our chins up and our hearts high even though at this time such things seem impossible.

My mother will always with us, she was and will ever be the most perfect thing in my life. To be 1/1000000th of the person she was is my only wish in life.

I wish I could thank you all personally and discuss in depth stories about my mother, but I do not have the contact info required. If you would like to contact me, share some stories or let me give thanks my e-mail address is mksmith@shaw.ca.

Again, thank you all, you have no idea what your words mean to us.

With Love,
Matthew Masellis-Smith.

By: Stacey Bleoo (Hume)

Stacey Bleoo (Hume) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 16:44:14 +0000

Dear Mrs Masellis, Matthew and Danielle,

I know you likely won’t remember me. I was a good friend of Anna’s when the kids were young (in Edmonton). I often helped her out with the kids and was over at her house in Riverbend frequently. I meet you on a few occasions. We lost touch when she moved to Minnesota and I tried to find her again last fall (emailed every email I could find with her name) but didn’t reach her. I am deeply saddened by her passing. I remember Anna as a lively, free spirited woman. She taught me so much about the world of science (I was a graduate student when she was a post-doc in the same lab). We shared both the fun times and the not-so-fun times while she was in Edmonton.

My thoughts and prayers are with you and the kids.

Sincerely,
Stacey Bleoo (nee Hume)

By: Eva Borst Tyroll

Eva Borst Tyroll — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 11:57:18 +0000

My first contact with Anna was in early 2007. My own mother in Denmark had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in Feb 2006 and through my research I came across a report on Annas brave approach which was so radically different to the standard methods used globally.
I took the liberty of contacting Anna who was very forthcoming and this was the beginning of several long telephone conversations in which she gave me guidance and advise on many issues relating to my mothers condition.
In particular I would like to mention that Anna guided me through my mums last hours in a danish hospital via the telphone. To this day I still cannot grasp how she had the strength and reserves to do this for me – especially as we had never met in person.
After my moms passing we still kept in contact and discussed the possibility of a trip to Denmark to meet Oncologists and create awareness of Pancreatic cancer.

I invited Anna to spend some time at our summerhouse on the Danish coast as a thank you for all the support she gave me during this extremely difficult time. Sadly this never became a reality and I didnt manage to meet Anna in person. I would like to keep this invitation open to her family who will always be welcome if the opportunity arises.
Her time for other people despite her own condition I have never experienced before and has taught me how to be a better person. Anna has truly been unique and inspiring.

I am running the London Marathon on April 26th in memory of my mother.Anna will be in my thoughts especially on this day http://www.justgiving.com/tyroll

Eva Borst Tyroll

By: Nilla Verga

Nilla Verga — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 22:30:33 +0000

My thoughts and prayers are with all Anna Maria’s family, especially with her children, her mother, zia Ada & Zio Silvano. May her lovely memory give you strength at this difficult time.

Sincerely, Nilla

By: Lucia

Lucia — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 22:49:38 +0000

Sunday, Jan. 11, more than 150 people whose lives were touched by Anna gathered to remember and honor her. We told stories, wept and laughed. There were moments of Greek Orthodox liturgy and chanting, Greek folk dances of mourning, tales of Anna’s brilliance told by scientists, writers, gourmet cooks, and a variety of admirers. We remembered her intensity, her joyful songs, her beautiful shoes, her loyal friendship, her fierce opinions, her curling hair, her witty conversation, her too-brief time with us. We enjoyed delicious foods and raised toasts to dear Anna’s memory. Thank you to Maria, Danielle, and Matthew for allowing us in Minnesota to share precious time with Anna.

By: Mark and Barb Quade

Mark and Barb Quade — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 06:47:09 +0000

It is with very great sadness that Barb and I learn Anna left us to be with our Lord in heaven. Barb was diagnosed with stage IV Pancreatic Cancer in May of this year. We did not know Anna well, but, in the brief conversations we had with Anna, she was of great and tremendous help to us. She gave us moments of her valuable time, and in those brief moments we received quiet leadership, advice, direction, hope and peace, in our struggles with this devastating disease. We miss her, and we miss the knowledge, kindness, love and courage she lived, expressed and sent our way. She was and represented for us, the very best of humanity on this earth, in so many ways. She was our angel.

Mark and Barb Quade