My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer in late October 2013; the same year, in fact, that she lost her daughter and her sister. It would turn out to be the toughest year of our lives. My father and I both battle with diseases of our own, but we have always lived by the notion that, “together we can do anything”. And so, together we fought! We did our research, we cried, we laughed and we did more research. My mom saw a video online of a woman who danced on her surgery day. She looked at me and said, “Dan, I want to do that”. So on the day of her surgery, we danced. Her nurse joined in and as staff walked by, they danced too! It was uplifting and my mom went into surgery with a song in her heart. The recovery processes was long and full of uncertainty. Today, she is cancer free! We started 2014 with new adventures in hormone therapy. My mom is a fighter and one of the strongest people I have ever had the privilege to know. It’s still a battle, but “together we can do anything!” I love you, momma.

Danielle
Stockton, CA