“Mom is strong. She can fight this,” I said. “Right?”

“She’ll fight her hardest. That’s for sure,” my dad said.

And that’s exactly what she did. My mom’s strength and integrity is what I admired the most about her. And they are the traits I wanted and needed as a 13-year-old watching her go through cancer treatment.

One year later, things changed when her body rejected the chemo and radiation. Once the cancer moved to her liver, she moved into a hospice called Angel’s Grace. I believed some miracle would happen and she would magically be cancer free. But one day later, my dad called my sister and me to come in and say our goodbyes.

When I saw our friends and relatives, I knew we were in this together by the way they all welcomed us. Watching my mom take her last breaths, I saw her end her pain. And my angel on Earth entered heaven with a smile on her face.

That smile is still stuck inside my head and I don’t want to forget it.

Now with my sister off to college and my mom gone, it’s just my dad, my toy poodle, Ginger, and me. I’ve taken on the responsibility of keeping the house clean and helping my dad cook. And I’m the one who is there for him.

I am molding into the person my mom was, yet I’m also becoming my own person. I’ve gained my mom’s strength and perseverance despite her absence. I gained her positive outlook; I asked friends and family to join me in Relay for Life, raising money for people diagnosed with cancer. I inherited her integrity; I help my grandpa--who has Multiple Sclerosis-- with his daily struggles. I can handle any tough situation that comes my way; like making decisions based on myself and not others.. Most importantly, I gained 14 years of memories with her I will never forget.