Former parliamentarian Dr. Anisa Hassouna passed today after a long battle with cancer at 69.

Anissa Hassouna was a member of the Egyptian Parliament and is the secretary-general of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs and the executive director of the Magdi Yacoub foundation.

Her bestselling memoir, “Bedoon Sabeq Enzar” (Without Prior Warning), described her continuous battle with cancer. Hassouna’s book inspired many readers throughout the Middle East. In addition, it motivated her to speak on World Cancer Day 2018, reminding individuals that cancer is an emotional and psychological battle and a medical one.

Anisa Hassouna was also the Director-General of Egypt’s International Economic Forum and Assistant General Manager at Misr Iran Development Bank. Moreover, she was the Founder and Chairperson of Enlightened Egypt Foundation, which promotes citizenship and gender equal rights.

She was also a founding member of Think Tank for Arab Women, the Forum for Arab Citizenship in Transition Democracies, the Front for Protecting the Freedom of Creativity & Expression, and the Arab International Women’s Forum in London.

And just four days before her passing, Hassouna was honored by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s wife, Mrs. Intisar El-Sisi, during the Women’s International Day celebration.