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Rest in peace, Raine Riggs.
By Bernadette Giacomazzo — Written on Mar 04, 2020
Regardless of your political affiliation, when someone's daughter-in-law dies — especially from a rare disease, and especially so young — you can't help but make your heart go out to them. After Bernie Sanders suffered a heart attack, his daughter-in-law died of a rare disease. But how did Raine Riggs die?
Neuroendocrine cancer is one of the rarest forms of cancer that exist today. Occurring mostly in the lungs, appendix, and pancreas, neuroendocrine cancer is aggressive and almost always causes fatality, though its exact cause is unknown. More often than not, neuroendocrine cancer comes on suddenly without any symptoms, but there are occasions where the sufferer experiences symptoms like skin flushing, excessive exhaustion, and frequent and painful urination. Additionally, some neuroendocrine tumors are called functional tumors, and produce excess hormones in the body.
Let's all send a kind word and prayer to Bernie Sanders' son, Levi, and now-deceased daughter-in-law, who died of the disease.
Let's also take a look at what we know about the tragic passing of Raine Riggs.
1. She died two days after she was diagnosed.
Dr. Raine Riggs was diagnosed with a rare disease just two days before she passed away. Reports state she'd first fallen ill about three weeks ago but her illness left doctors "stumped" as to what could be wrong with her.
2.Riggs was a woman who dedicated her life to medicine and psychology.
Riggs was a graduate of American University, Harvard University, and Brown University. As a doctor, she dedicated herself to medicine & psychology, and specialized in palliative care.
3. She was married to Bernie Sanders' son, Levi, with whom she had three children.
Riggs was married to Bernie Sanders's son, Levi. They met when they were both volunteering at a food bank. At the time, Levi Sanders was considering a run for office, and ultimately unsuccessful did so a few years ago. Levi and Raine had three children together.
4. Her last words were sending an apology to her children.
Riggs' last words were an apology to her children for getting sick. "Her last words were to tell her children how much she loved them and she was so sorry that she got sick. Her last moment was spent with her No. 1 cheerleader, her mother, holding her hand and whispering in her ear how much she loved her. And then she was gone."
5. Riggs died just one week after Bernie Sanders had a heart attack.
While on the campaign trail, Bernie Sanders suffered a heart attack, for which he had to receive stents in his heart. He got the stents in Nevada and subsequently thanked the doctors for saving his life. His family didn't have time to recover from that potentially devastating blow when Raine Riggs died unexpectedly.
6. How did Raine Riggs die? She had neuroendcrine cancer, one of the rarest forms of cancer.
"Rainè became ill three weeks ago. The hospitals were stumped. We brought her home last Sunday to UPMC, where she was diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer. She died two days later. Her last words were to tell her children how much she loved them and she was so sorry that she got sick. Her last moment was spent with her No. 1 cheerleader, her mother, holding her hand and whispering in her ear how much she loved her," read her obituary.
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, and photographer whose work has appeared in People, Teen Vogue, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, and more. She is also the author of The Uprising series. For more information about Bernadette Giacomazzo, click here.