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In her first column for The Sun Chronicle published on July 8, 2007, Lori Brown wrote that she felt compelled to share what it was like as she challenged breast cancer.

Diagnosed in 2003 with an aggressive form of the disease, "my calling is this strong sense that I am meant to share my thoughts and feelings, to write about my illness and its challenges, to help others understand what families facing cancer go through."

"My aim is not to exploit the cancer patient, but rather show our humanity. Mine might not be pearls of wisdom, but my perspective will be heartfelt and reflective, and I humbly hope to offer an occasional word of advice."

And up until her last column on Nov. 29, 2009, she did just that.

Brown, who in her own words engaged "the series of battles and hence, more like a war" against breast cancer, died Saturday night at the age of 48. The North Attleboro resident leaves her husband Scott and their children, Dana and Samuel.

On Sunday, North Attleboro Youth Basketball teams held a moment of silence before their games and players wore a sticker with a pink ribbon and "LB" on their uniforms. Brown's son Samuel was a player on one of the NAYB teams.

No obituary information was yet available.

Speaking to a reporter before her inaugural column, Brown told about her mother dying from breast cancer at age 55, her own initial diagnosis and the fact that she didn't talk about survival rates or statistics when it came to breast cancer "because I don't want to read about being around for five more years."

"My son was in the second grade when I was diagnosed, and then I wanted to be around 10 more years to see him graduate high school. I didn't want to think about it," she said.

Brown said chief among her goals of the column was being honest about the ordeal. "I know it's possible to survive, but not everybody does survive. I don't want to give anyone false hope. That's the biggest thing I worry about."

She didn't want to lie. "There's nothing good to say about chemo. It just really stinks - physically and mentally."

Over the years, she wrote about how she told her children about her condition, her up and down days, her faith and God and the dread, but also hope, in starting new treatments each time the disease picked up its pace.

"For some people, cancer is an intensely private and personal war," she noted in that first column. "Granted the disease is horrible, but that is not my focus. I want to take you beyond the slap-in-the-face cancer diagnosis and the kick-in-the-pants cancer treatment, but that will be a part of it because it's part of my story. My point, however, is to write about everyday life - just from the eyes of a person with cancer."

In October, as part of The Sun Chronicle's series on breast cancer awareness, Brown wrote: "Try not to underestimate the toll that breast cancer takes on one's mind and body. As with any of life's injustices, you cannot comprehend how it feels if you have not gone through it yourself." At the time, she summarized her experience from diagnosis and her return, yet again, to new chemo treatments this past spring with another recurrence.

"Now, back on chemo, it is a day to day struggle and I am finding what is helping me most this time around is the compassion of other cancer survivors," Brown wrote. "Seek out support wherever you can - be it family, friends, faith or networking with other cancer survivors."

"While breast cancer is a personal, lonely disease, you do not have to go it alone."

Indeed, she dedicated her final column to two women, similarly diagnosed - one in Attleboro and another in Australia who had bumped into Brown's column on-line. She spoke of their bond and friendship.

One of those women, who she identified only as M. from Attleboro, told Brown her articles helped her "to know my way of thinking is shared by someone." They became close friends, eventually joining a group through the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation in Rhode Island, where with other survivors and caretakers they undertook writing a book about their individual experiences.

"More than that, we're all soul sisters supporting one another," Brown wrote of that experience.

The woman in Australia who wrote her, led to another regular correspondence and friendship. "We shared the fear and loneliness that seems a common thread amongst cancer patients," Brown wrote.

The two women talked of meeting in New York at some point. Her friend had some discouraging news, but vowed to Brown to keep fighting the disease. Months later, Brown would learn similar news after initial hopes that the latest round of treatment was working.

Brown, who lived more than six years with the disease, never ceased what she started out to do in writing her column.

"I thought this was something I had to do," she told an interviewer in 2007. "Maybe that's why I had to go through this. Maybe this is what I'm supposed to do."