Reuters health care reporter Sherman dies of lung cancer

Debra Sherman, a Reuters reporter for more than two decades who covered the health care industry, died Tuesday from lung cancer.

Reuters editor in chief Steve Adler writes, “Deb’s signature mix of humor and moxie made her a fierce reporter and wonderful friend to so many of her colleagues around the world. She covered healthcare for more than a decade, breaking news on the medical device industry and writing considered pieces on such subjects as the rising financial toll posed by a cancer diagnosis.

“After learning of her own illness, she employed that expertise in fighting the disease and imparting to readers honest accounts of her experience. Her “Cancer in Context” blog attracted a wide following among oncologists, cancer patients and their loved ones. In her memory, we recall here an excerpt from her inaugural post that speaks to her bravery and spirit.

If there has been an upside to this dreaded disease it is that people are so kind when they find out I have cancer, even nicer than when I was pregnant with my two children. Loved ones seem to love me more, or tell me so more often. Everyone wants to do things for me and offer help. The love has come from some unexpected people and warms my heart in indescribable ways. At times, the outpouring feels as if it could actually cure me.

Read more here. Sherman covered health care for more than a decade. Prior to that, she covered corporate news, financial and derivative markets, including the London stock market, when she worked out of the London bureau in the mid-1990s.