Doing Global Activism stories, we meet a lot of memorable people, but one person was especially hard to forget. Last October, we spoke with Michele Baldwin, right before she left to stand-up paddle 700 miles down India’s Ganges River to raise awareness and money for the Global Initiative against HPV and Cervical Cancer.

In November, Michele successfully completed the trip. It was wildly successful and received a lot of coverage in India. Her story was personal because Michele was in the final stages of terminal Cervical Cancer.

We were saddened to hear that Michele, mother of three children, passed away this Sunday (2/5/12) at age 45. We send our sincere condolences to Michele’s family and friends.

As Michele undertook her final journey, her mother Ruth, posted this message on Michele’s blog:

And now Michele Baldwin, our daughter, is on the last river of her life, her Buddhist journey. And even doing that, as she says “actively dying”, she is continuing her message to all women: “end this disease. Get tested. Get a Pap today if you haven’t.