My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2001. She was only 44 years old. She had a mastectomy to remove the breast & underwent chemotherapy. She was in remission for about 4 1/2 years when the cancer returned, this time in the other breast, in 2006. She, again, had a mastectomy to remove that breast, followed by radiation & chemo. She was only in remission a few months, however, before the cancer reappeared, in her mammary glands, in 2007. She underwent chemo, radiation, medications, surgeries, emergency room visits, infections -- but through it all, she never lost hope. She was continuously upbeat, hopeful, strong. She refused to let the cancer ruin the time she had left with us. Even when she went on Hospice, she never lost her trademark smile. Our hearts were broken, but Heaven receive another angel in February 2008, exactly 1 week after her 51st birthday, and just 10 short days after her own father passed away from lung cancer. While I still grieve her loss, I know that I am a stronger person because of her -- and that I now have her watching over me from Heaven.

Janine Firment
Prince George, VA