Jackie Collins refused to let her terminal cancer diagnosis affect her life.
Jackie Collins
The 77-year-old author passed away over the weekend after a secret six-year battle with breast cancer but never succumbed to self-pity and insisted she wanted to be an inspiration to people in similar circumstances.
Speaking just five days before she died, Jackie told PEOPLE magazine: "I certainly don't wake up in the morning and think, 'Oh, I have terminal cancer,' because I don't. I have a chronic disease. We're all going to go at some time. I want people to see me as an example of strength - and doing things my way."
And Jackie insisted that a positive attitude helped her to cope.
She said: "Your mind controls your body, so you must. If you have a positive attitude, you can conquer anything.
"That's what you do. It's just been an incredible journey."
Jackie was diagnosed after having a full body scan for an unexplained limp but by the time she found out, her cancer had spread.
She revealed her treatment included "a lumpectomy, radiation and various drug combinations".
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