"Every time I ever said I want to die, I meant I am willing to do anything to live," said Andrea Gibson, reciting their poem, Every Time I Ever Said I Want to Die.
A beloved poet, performer and activist, Gibson, a Maine native, died from cancer on July 14, at age 49. Gibson's vulnerable poetry about gender identity, queer politics, love and death inspired fans to accept themselves and embrace life.
Though Colorado was their chosen home, Gibson grew up in Calais, played high school basketball and studied creative writing at St Joseph's College in Standish before moving to Boulder in 1999.
After being diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2021, Gibson wrote openly about the realities of living with a terminal illness and facing mortality, which inspired and comforted many readers.
In a final interview on NBC's "It's Ok To Ask Questions," Gibson read "Love Letter from the Afterlife", a poem they wrote for their wife Megan Falley.
"Dying is the opposite of leaving. I want to echo it through the corridor of your temples," Gibson wrote. "I am more with you than I ever was before."
A social media post announcing Gibson's passing has generated an outpouring of grief and gratitude for their art, and as one fan put it, "leaving stretch marks on all of our hearts."