one woman’s story of coping, moving on and beating the odds of cancer:

“In July of 2010 I was told I had Stage 3, Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. I had several affected areas: my armpits, my chest cavity and abdomen. My first thoughts were “can it be cured and is it terminal?”

“Mandy, my daughter, was with me for most of my appointments and helped me with questions I would always forget to ask. She made unending phone calls on my behalf and with her support and the love and support of her sister, who had been through cancer with her husband I was able to maintain my strength and sanity.”

“I have to say I have wonderful family and amazing friends who got me through the rough days. In February I had surgery to take samples of some nodes that were still questionable and on February 28, 2011 those results came back revealing no granumola which means I was CANCER FREE!!!”

***the following quilt is a beautiful gift her daughters made, it is all of her bandannas sewn together and on the back are words of encouragement. seriously, this was breathtaking.***

“I was told throughout the months of chemo to just stay positive…cancer changes you forever and gives you a toughness that can be surprising. Just believe you CAN beat it!”

“this day i will marry my best friend the one i laugh with, live for, dream with, love.”

so small and precious, welcomed into a beautiful family filled with love