> Chad Smith Statement: Charlie Soap regrets to announce his wife Wilma Mankiller has been diagnosed with Stage IV Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer.
> Mankiller is an author, lecturer and former Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. Mankiller has served 12 years in elective office at the Cherokee Nation, the first two as Deputy Principal Chief followed by 10 years as Principal Chief. She retired from public office in 1995. Among her many honors, Mankiller has been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Clinton. Soap requests that the public respect the family’s privacy during this time.
>
> In a brief statement, Mankiller said: “I decided to issue this statement because I want my family and friends to know that I am mentally and spiritually prepared for this journey; a journey that all human beings will take at one time or another. I learned a long time ago that I can’t control the challenges the Creator sends my way but I can control the way I think about them and deal with them. On balance, I have been blessed with an extraordinarily rich and wonderful life, filled with incredible experiences. And I am grateful to have a support team composed of loving family and friends. I will be spending my time with my family and close friends and engaging in activities I enjoy. It’s been my privilege to meet and be touched by thousands of people in my life and I regret not being able to deliver this message personally to so many of you. If anyone wants to send a message to me, it is best to email me at
> wilmapmankiller@ yahoo.com.”