CNN photojournalist Margaret Moth dies of colon cancer

By Rachel Stockton

CNN photojournalist Margaret Moth passed away on March 21st, after a three-year struggle with colon cancer.  She was 59.

Born in New Zealand as Margaret Wilson, she ultimately changed her name to Margaret Moth; a moniker that came to her after  skydiving from a friend’s Tiger Moth plane.  According to CNN, she asked herself what kept her from creating her own name, rather than merely taking the name of her father or of a husband.  

Her eccentricities went way beyond a mere name change, however, and were part and parcel of not only who she was, but also created her own unique style of professionalism.  Seemingly fearless, Moth often travelled to war torn regions, her camera rolling even as bullets whizzed by her person.

In 1993, she was faced with a particularly difficult obstacle.  While on assignment with her colleagues, she was hit in the face by sniper fire; multiple surgeries soon followed.  After recovering some semblance of physical strength, Margaret Moth returned to the front lines, ready to take up where she left off, telling reporters that she never questioned the fact that she would return to her profession.

Her striking physical features notwithstanding, Margaret Moth was best known for her determination and drive when it came to not only her profession, but to her zest for life in general.  Dressed almost entirely in black, she often slept with her combat boots on, according to colleague Christiane Amanpour. 

Margaret Moth was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2007. In early September 2009, she entered a hospice in Rochester Minnesota where she died on Sunday March 21, according to wikipedia.

Colon cancer is a common malignancy that afflicts 106,000 people in the United States each year and kills about 50,000 annually in the country, cancer.gov says.

Like in many other cases, doctors don't know what caused colon cancer in Margaret Moth.  People who follow the Western diet high in fat and meat and low in fruit, vegetables, folate and fiber are at high risk of the disease, some studies have shown.  

Studies have suggested that high intake of vitamin D, calcium, dry beans, fruits like apples, blueberries and turmeric or curry among other things may help prevent colon cancer.

Although Moth passed away in Rochester, MN, her ashes will be taken to Instanbul, where she had been living for the last several years, according to CNN.com.