I spoke to Dee Dee Ricks the day after Steve Jobs lost his courageous battle against cancer.
“Even with all the “milestones” he passed, he could not beat cancer. He handled his cancer with grace resonating worldwide that cancer knows no socioeconomic boundaries. When you have cancer you never take it for granted no matter how many milestones you pass” Dee Dee told me.
The passing of Steve Jobs did not go unnoticed by Dee Dee’s sons. His passing weighed on their young minds. As their mother, Dee Dee had to remind them that she was ok. She was strong, her cancer was caught early and it was not the same type of cancer that Steve Jobs had. Her sons needed to know their mother was alright.
Yes, the filming of the documentary was done for her sons. As a mother, Dee Dee did all she could to shelter and protect her boys from much of the details of her illness providing them with only the information that was age appropriate for them to know and to give them only the information they could handle. Her sons never understood the extent of her illness, her treatment, or the physical and emotional pain she was going through. As a mother, she tried to keep everything normal even on her toughest days.
Dee Dee believes her sons have also evolved from going through this process with their mother that might not have happened if Dee Dee did not have breast cancer. Her sons are more compassionate and have a greater ability to be considerate of others.
Do her sons miss not living in a fourteen million dollar home in Manhattan? Not for one minute. They prefer their new home and are doing quite well. Dee Dee knows raising children is a hard thing to do. She takes being a parent quite seriously. All her life choices center on her sons for they are the best gift; being a good example for them is important to her. As much as Dee Dee wants to protect them, she knows she can’t protect them too much. It is finding the right balance.
Dee Dee has learned her sons are resilient and they have overcome much that was thrown their way but when explained properly they can get through life’s many lessons.
Come back tomorrow for more my interview with Dee Dee Ricks.
