I still can remember as if it were yesterday when my mom gave me the news. I wish I could’ve prepared myself for the hurt that I was about to experience. I was only nine when my whole life changed. The test results had finally come in after what felt like centuries of waiting. My daily morning afternoon and before bed headaches weren’t just bad migraines. I was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer and was told I only had a year to live. All my mom could do was hold me tight and tell me everything would be ok. But I knew that this would be the most difficult thing that I would ever go through. Shortly after I was diagnosed I started chemo. It didn’t take long for me to lose majority of my hair so I decided to go bald. My mom was my biggest support system, she kept me strong. There was times when I was ready to give up but she wouldn’t let me. After a few months past I noticed that my headaches weren’t coming as often as usual. When I went to the doctor for an x-ray we witnessed a miracle. My tumor was shrinking. This meant that it could finally be removed. About a week after my x-ray I was going into surgery. All I remember was waking up and seeing the smile on my mother’s face. She told me that the surgery went great and I was cancer free. The only thing I could do was cry, tears of happiness of course. This is my favorite moment and one that I will never forget. The pain and suffering that I went through was all worth it in the end.

Today is my twenty first birthday and I’m spending it telling my story to children who have cancer. I want them to see that the journey can make you stronger. My journey made me the woman I am today.