Rashida Jones on Mom Peggy Lipton's Cancer Battle: 'It's About Finding Joy Where You Can'

Before Peggy Lipton died this past week, she endured a long battle with cancer, as reported in a 2009 article written by her daughter, Rashida Jones.

Jones opened up about her mother's cancer diagnosis in a 2009 article for O, The Oprah Magazine, recounting the hardships of seeing someone go through cancer treatment.

She began her story by focusing on how close she was with her, dating back to when she chose to live with Lipton following the Mod Squad actress' separation from her father, Quincy Jones.

"Mom is the most unconditionally loving person I will ever know, and she has always supported me on every level," Rashida wrote. "Until last year she worked with me before every audition; she's given me perspective, and she has let me cry when things haven't gone my way — which, when you're an actress, can happen a lot."

The Parks and Recreation star then opened up about the discovery of Lipton's cancer in 2002. Rashida, Lipton and Lipton's brother, had the fortune to star in a play together. That great career experience was sadly followed by the heartbreaking news that the beloved Twin Peaks actress had a tumor.

"When the play was over, I went to London for four months. Just a couple of days after I came back, Mom was diagnosed with cancer," Rashida wrote. "At 56, she'd gone in for a routine colonoscopy, and her doctors found a stage III tumor. They recommended surgery and chemo immediately. ... Chemotherapy is brutal. The goal is pretty much to kill everything in your body without killing you. I wished I could have gone through it for her; I wanted to take the burden off her."

She added, "The minute the word cancer enters your house, everything changes. I felt like a huge anvil had fallen on me. But I knew that action needed to be taken — there were logistics to handle, and my mother needed support. Luckily, both of us now lived in New York, which was a huge blessing."

Rashida then says she found new purpose in helping her mother through the rough treatments. She wrote that she would do her best to see the bright side of moments and the pair would cut up and laugh while in the waiting room for chemotherapy.

"I decided my job was to find joyful moments during what could have been a terrifying time for both of us," Rashida wrote. "We laughed so much, she almost seemed to forget she was sick. That summer all we did was laugh. ... Just because a situation is grim doesn't mean you don't have every right to smile. It isn't about 'being strong' and pretending everything's okay; it's about finding joy where you can. My dad has always said, 'Approach life with love and not fear.' It's such a dynamic way to live."

The closing of Jones' account is a sad look forward that would ultimately come to fruition with her mother's recent passing. However, Rashida is hopefully following her own advice and searching for the "bright side" during this trying time.

"I know that in life there will be sickness, devastation, disappointments, heartache — it's a given," Rashida wrote. "What's not a given is the way you choose to get through it all. If you look hard enough, you can always find the bright side."

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