Prize Fighter

Muhammad Ali. Mike Tyson. Joe Frazier. Sugar Ray Leonard. George Foreman. Evander Holyfield. No list of the greatest fighters to ever live would be complete without Rebecca Powell-Snoddy. Although many have never heard of the latter, she is indeed one of the greatest—a legend with a legacy like no other. You see, Rebecca battled an opponent who has never been beaten. Rebecca fought death. Here’s how it went down:

The first match happened more than twenty years ago, Rebecca was diagnosed with a brain tumor. For her, this proved to be nothing more than an exhibition fight. She battled back from both her first and second brain surgeries with unparalleled resilience. Not long after the second surgery, Rebecca was driving in her car when suddenly; she lost sight in her left eye. She described it as feeling like someone slowly pulling down a shade until she couldn’t see anything. This was indeed a major blow for “Unbeatable Becky” but it didn’t stop her. She regrouped and faced her challenges head on. Being blind in one eye seemed to give her a sharper focus on life and its importance. Unbeatable Becky was so busy finding ways to help others that she didn’t allow herself any time to be distracted by the Rope-a-Dope of worry, self-pity, and anger. Nope, she was too busy championing someone else’s cause for that.

Oh, and Death…she took the life out of him. He came back for re-match after re-match and Unbeatable Becky KO’d him time after time. Unbeatable Becky underwent her 4th brain surgery in 2009. The surgery was more than 18 hours long. Many didn’t think she had the stamina to beat death that time, but like the champion she is, she found a way to win. Within months, Unbeatable Becky had pulled off another major upset. She made a full recovery and was back to the business of helping and caring for others in no time at all.

In July 2010, bruised and battered, Death showed up again requesting a re-match. Rebecca’s physician advised her that the tumor had returned and would require a 5th brain surgery. Without surgery, the physician predicted that she would not live for more than one year. Wearily, Unbeatable Becky agreed to one final fight with Death. However, she changed the rules. This time, there would be no surgery. Unbeatable Becky conferred with her corner—none were prepared to offer coaching—but no coaching was needed. Unbeatable Becky had her own game plan and only needed help with execution. Unbeatable Becky planned her end of life care and assigned roles and responsibilities to those who were capable of carrying out her wishes as described. Afterwards, she returned to business as usual. She prioritized responsibilities and focused on things that mattered to her. Her order of business was simple: God first, followed by family, friends, and others in need of her help. She truly was a modern day Mother Teresa.

Unbeatable Becky fought valiantly. I’m sure that Death got more than he bargained for. Unbeatable Becky fought for twelve rounds—she never gave up. When the bell rang, she went to her corner, closed her eyes, and rested—awaiting the decision. When she opened them up and the angels welcomed her home, I’m sure she smiled and said “I beat Death for real this time”.