Andy DehnartJenn Lyon, the Survivor Palau cast member who died last night of breast cancer, attended the reunion and anniversary party a few weeks ago, where producers set aside quieter space for her to interact with her friends, and Jeff Probst says it seemed clear to him that she knew it was the last time she’d see them.
“The Survivor reunion party offered Jenn a great chance to reconnect with so many people from the Survivor family. It was a great night and even though the party was crazy, we arranged a back room, away from the madness, where Jenn could hang out and talk with friends. She looked absolutely stunning that night. Certainly a lot of that is because Jenn was always a beautiful woman, but there was a spirit inside her that night that was palpable. It was clear to me that she knew this was a goodbye,” he told Entertainment Weekly.
Her sister, Kim, told the magazine that “Jenn would rather go to a Survivor party than anything else. No matter how bad she was feeling. She could always rally for that kind of a celebration.”
Probst said he “became very close, very fast” with Jenn a few years ago, and this Christmas, opened her own Christmas tree lot and “made the decision to donate profits to the Susan Love Cancer Research Foundation.” Kim added that “Jenn worked so hard on the lot and they were kind of bummed they didn’t make much money off of it so if anyone wants to honor Jenn they can make a donation to the foundation. She would be touched.”
If you’d like to donate, the foundation’s web site accepts gifts online.