Thousands celebrate the life of Kara Tippetts

Thousands of people attended a memorial service in Colorado Springs for a woman who inspired people from across the nation.

Kara Tippetts, 38, died after a two-and-a-half year battle with breast cancer. She made her battle public by writing a book and posting inspiring messages on her blog.

“She’s a friend to many of us, she has made quite an impact on many people’s lives even before she was facing cancer,” pastor and family friend Mark Bates said.

Those who knew Tippetts said they were inspired by her unwavering faith.

“She was willing to face death courageously. She trusted that God was in control of all things,” Bates said. “I don’t think Kara could have faced the last two and a half years without the faith that she had.”

Tippetts was a strong opponent of physician-assisted suicide. She wrote a letter to Brittany Maynard, who was diagnosed with brain cancer and who moved to Oregon for the state’s assisted suicide law. Tippetts asked Maynard to reconsider her decision to end her life that way.

“That letter to Brittany, as well as everything else, comes back to her faith and saying that life on this earth is temporary,” Bates said. ” I think Kara pointed us to how your life can have meaning whether it’s 38 years or 88 years.”

Kara’s friends said she understood the true meaning of love.

“I don’t think of the person who became well known from her blog, I think of her as someone who loved. She loved everyone she could manage to love,” family friend Matt Morginsky said.

Kara was married to a pastor and has four children.