Lectures me as I do my homework, while she listens to me complaint about all the homework I have to do. As I sit there and complaint she always says “Look Noemi if you don’t want to go to school then I’ll go for you and you can go to work instead”. But I know that shes just kidding around and she just wants a better future for me. My mom is one of the bravest and strongest person I’ve ever met she doesn’t let mean comments from others put her down and in the worst situations she's been she always finds a positive side to it.

My mom has had to work so hard for what she wants in life for a better education and future all of her life. She was born in a small town in Mexico that no longer exists where she lived with her other four siblings and parents in a one roomed house. She was raised on 3 different ranches in order to have food for her siblings and herself and once she turned six she was sent to school and woke up very early in the morning to help with the animals around the ranch. She tried super hard in school in order to get the best grades she could and best education. As she got older heading into high school working on the ranch just wasn’t enough. When she turned 15 she worked at the family store and a restaurant as the manager, she also taught older people to read, write, and do basic math. Once she was starting college she had to decide what she wanted to study her father suggested that she should be a veterinarian so she could attend the animals on the ranch. But she had bigger dreams she wanted to become a lawyer she always says “When I was in college I wanted to be a lawyer, laws and human rights just always fascinated me”. Since she was determined to study what she wanted and not what her dad wanted, her father decided that he would not pay for her school. Forcing her to find again more jobs to work in order to pay her school. So she started off working at a company making computers and taking care of a little old lady. But it still wasn’t enough later on her siblings came back from California without her father and as a result a year later her mother and father got divorced. Two years later she just didn’t have the money for school anymore so her older sister who had moved back to the U.S told her sister, her mom and herself to come so that they could work and pay for her school. But later on she decided to stay here and see where life would take her.

In 1995 she got married with my dad but like she says" I got married with 3 my husband and his two kids". Two years later she had me and my sister a year and half later. About two years later she hit another bump in the road she lost what would have been her third child, since she had no idea she was pregnant making her fall into into a deep depression but my sister and I were two young to understand so when we heard her talk about it we had no idea what she meant by "I lost my baby". She was able to overcome her depression thanks to my sister and I. She always says "While I was depressed I did have suicidal thoughts but then I'd tell myself if I do that who will my daughters stay with and will they have a motherly figure and will I be following the principles of my religion". As the strong woman she is she got up and lived her life working very hard to make sure we had the necessities and make sure we take cared of well and went to school.

Life went on my mom continued to do her daily chores and work and she was granted with the biggest blessing after 13 years my mom found out she was pregnant with my youngest sister and I remember her calling my dad and saying "Honey I'm pregnant" everyone was so happy for her and excited for the baby's arrival. After nine months of waiting, along came a little girl named Denitza that stole all of our hearts and continues to do so after 2 years. But this past year I noticed that there was a difference in my mom she got tired faster, she just wasn't being like her usual self. Over the summer she went to the doctor to get a check up and her doctor noticed she wasn't very healthy so her doctor sent her to another doctor. Over the summer she seemed to be ok I thought that she was doing fine and whatever she had they had gotten rid of it. I left for Arizona with my uncle, aunt, sister, and cousins and I came back thinking she was ok. Usually during the summer I help her clean houses, since that is her job my dad and sister were with us helping to I don't remember why but I got mad and went to go put some stuff away into a laundry room my dad said to me "Be patient with her she's sick" and I looked at him like he was crazy and wondered what is he talking about. Shortly after he said "Did you know she's sick?, I replied "Yes I know she's sick" and my dad said "Did you know she has cancer of the uterus and that she will have surgery in October". That's when I realized she wasn't all better as I had told myself she was. I never asked why she didn't tell me I don't know why I just didn't ask, later on she did ask if we knew and as to her surprise she had no idea my dad had told us. I asked her if she was scared and she replied " No I know that god will help me fight this battle". No matter what she always had a smile on her face and made the best out of every occasion. She was very quiet about it she didn't want anyone to know the only people who knew were family and very close friends. She went on with her daily life as if it was an regular day and she continued to be the strong woman she is. October came along and my siblings and I had dinner with her since it would be her last dinner before her surgery. The day came along my siblings, cousins, and aunts came to the hospital to join her when it was time to say goodbye to her before she went into surgery I told myself that I had to be strong for her because I knew god would take care of her. I waited about 4 hours for her to come and when she did it was the biggest relief I had ever felt In the entire world.

From fighting many battles that got her at the worst time she was able to overcome these situations. She has taught me to be the brave and strong and to look at the positive side of the negative occasions. My mom is a fighter a brave strong warrior that fights harder than anyone I know and seeing the way she is makes me one to be like her someday.