There are a thousand stories to tell about how Peggy Chun managed her illness and lived a glorious life while facing death.

There are just as many stories about how she reached out to others and helped them live better, bigger lives.

About four years ago, I went to Peggy Chun's house to interview her. She had just started painting with her mouth.

She was in a motorized wheelchair and on a ventilator but she could still talk between puffs of air being pushed into her lungs. All she wanted to talk about was fun stuff they were doing around the house and the kinds of food she missed eating since she couldn't swallow anymore ('opihi was top on her list).

That same afternoon, Peggy was meeting with a young man who had recently been diagnosed with ALS. He and his wife wanted to know what to expect, from someone who understood.

Peggy was eager to share and invited them to her house. She did that sort of thing a lot. It was always, "Come on over!"

She and her caregivers had figured out all sorts of innovative ways to make things easier, from wheelchair clothes to foot supports, and she wanted to share what they learned if it could help someone else.

In 2006, she gave a speech to patients, caregivers and medical personel at an ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) seminar in Honolulu. She gave very detailed tips about what worked for her and what didn't.

She also spoke frankly about fear, denial, physical pain, and the things she worried about.

It is a powerful thing when a hero admits to getting scared.

There are so many stories about people who faced grave illnesses or terrible situations unafraid. The relatives all say, "He never complained once" or "She just took it all in stride and never asked 'Why me?' "

That ability some have to persevere without protest is almost beyond comprehension to the rest of us "Oh, no! I broke a nail!" complainers. Not all of us are that pure.

One of the many lessons to be learned from Peggy Chun was that it is also possible to be courageous even when you're scared. That's its own brand of strength: to be able to struggle with fear and sometimes even have a good cry, but to go forward anyway.

It's not like she was a whiner. Quite the contrary. She was tough and resilient and heroic. But she didn't hide that she wasn't always that way. She wasn't superhuman. She was regular human, but she had a super attitude, and she gave hope to the rest of us regular humans that yes, somehow, we could rise up in tough situations, too.

There are a thousand lessons to learn from her life. Just one of them is how to be brave.

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.