Debbie Ford Dies: Bestselling Self-Help Author Succumbs to Cancer at 57

Best-selling self-help author, Debbie Ford, died at the age of 57 on Sunday in San Diego, a family member told The Associated Press.

Ford was diagnosed with cancer and struggled with the disease. 

Her 1998 book, "The Dark Side of the Light Chasers," was meant to help readers overcome the dark sides which stemmed from her own journey to improve her personal development as she decided to overcome drug addiction, according to the Christian Science Monitor. The book became an instant success. 

Ford was inspired to write eight more. She also went on to become a motivational lecturer, teacher, and a self-help coach at The Ford Institute for Transformational Training.

"Her legacy and work will live on through the programs she developed and through her loving and devoted staff at The Ford Institute for Transformational Training," said Ford's sister, Arielle, in a statement, "Debbie was also a giver. Her generosity is legendary and one of her proudest accomplishments was assisting Beau with his Bar Mitzvah project to build a school in rural Uganda. Through her Collective Heart Foundation in partnership with the Just Like My Child Foundation, several important programs to help women and children are now thriving including a Girl Power project."

The Collective Heart was founded in 2007 and focuses on enhancing the emotional and physical well being of children and societies. The foundation brings supplies, teaches and coaches so far in the regions of Uganda and Kenya.

On her MySpace blog, she frequently maintained a positive stream of messages for her followers:  

"Look for the light. Look for it in everything. Look for it in yourself, in your children, in your job, and in your dreams," she wrote. "Look for it in the food you eat and in the people you surround yourself with. Look for it in the music you listen to and in the words that you read. Look for it in your communication and in your heart."