I always thought of my mom as a Wonder Woman of types, always there when any of her children needed her, a scout mom, working full time but always with time for us. When my mom told me 7 months ago that she needed to talk to me about something I automatically assumed I was in trouble. Even at 24 hearing "I need to talk to you" from your mom, you know it isn't good. She then sat me, my brother, and my sister down to tell us that she found out the day before that the lump in her breast was cancer. From there we saw doctors trying to find the right one for her. When we started on this journey it was constant doctors, hospitals but all the same it was constant support from our community, my brothers boy scout troop and everyone in our family. Watching my mom shave her head, be consistently nauseous, and sleep more than I thought possible was not an easy experience but my mom being her never felt sorry for herself, never cried unless I cried first (at least not in front of me) and always just knew that we would all get through this some how and always together. Now months later she just underwent her surgery to have both breasts removed and reconstructed, she is now home and recovering. My mom is my hero for many reasons but mainly because she never let me give up even when things were at their worst. Everyone to ever go through this is amazing and deserves to be praised, loved and supported. I love you Mom, your my hero, my best friend, and my everything.

Nicole Gibbs
Reisterstown, MD