Mom was the best friend, mother-in-law, grammy, boss, mentor and mother ever!  She was a strong, independent, single mom that successfully raised two children on her own.  She was well respected in her career and worked hard to earn her position everyday.  There was not a single person she met that didn’t admire her.

At the young age of 52 in good health she realized she’d ignored this odd pain in her gut long enough. In May of 2006 after an extremely painful colonoscopy we were told that she had three large ovarian tumors and that the fluid had completely filled her abdomen. Within days we were at a hospital having them removed and weeks later in our first of eight chemo treatments. While her cancer journey felt long it was a short 10 1/2 months that she suffered and then lost the battle to this ugly disease.

This cancer has the right title, “silent killer”, because no matter how hard mom faught it faught back harder.  It was too progressed before we knew about it. Doctors often mistake the symptoms for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) because of all the GI issues you can have over it.

Not one day goes by that I don’t think of her or wish her back so that I can share my many life’s changes with her.  She was my support no matter what I needed.  She was a selfless woman that lived a life of “paying it forward”.  God only takes the prettiest flowers for his garden and so I know why he picked her.  I’m comforted knowing that she is pain free and living the glorious life she deserves.  I am thankful for the memories and was blessed to have had the strength to take care of her throughout the most difficult journey she ever traveled.

Story submitted by Heather Taylor