My mom beat breast cancer twice in her life. I know this is a huge accomplishment – at least now I do. The first time my mom was diagnosed, I was three years old, so the only memories I have are shaving her head and going to Disney World.

The second time my mom was diagnosed, I was a sophomore in high school. This time I was older, so you must be thinking it was much more serious to me. And it was, but in my eyes, my mom was different. She never gave me a single reason to worry, so I didn’t. I went about my life, unaware of the true dangers her body was fighting off. You see, my mom never showed fear. She never showed pain, sadness, or worry. So to me, cancer was simply no big deal.

After my mom beat breast cancer for the second time, we were lucky enough to go on a trip with Little Pink Houses of Hope. There, I met families who went through the same thing I did. I met beautiful women, adorable children, and happy people. I made friends with the others in my group and had the most fun hanging out with Mason, a four-year-old who loved his Spiderman glasses.

Then I met Meghan.

Meghan was a woman on the trip with her mother and nine-year-old daughter. She told us she wasn’t going to survive her cancer and wasn’t sure how much longer she had left to live. That’s when it hit me. My mom beat cancer, but she might not have. If she didn’t feel the first lump when she did, if something had gone wrong in surgery, if it was too late.

The cocoon I had been keeping myself in untangled, and my mom’s cancer became more real to me.

Yes, she beat it, but you know when you’re driving and almost get into an accident? The time after you spend wondering, “what if?” That’s how I felt. A few months after the trip, Meghan passed away. Then, sometime later, so did Mason’s mom. My heart hurt for the children in the families. Mason was about the same age I was when my mom had cancer the first time.

I had spent many nights thinking about what life would be like if my mom didn’t beat cancer. Now, my worst nightmare was Mason’s reality.

I’m forever thankful my mom survived her cancer, but not everyone is as lucky as we were. Little Pink not only taught me to thank God every day for my mother’s health, but also how big some people’s hearts are. I decided I wanted to do something similar to what Little Pink does. I want to help people.

I decided a good fit for me would be marketing. I’d be able to help small businesses get their product out to consumers, while at the same time doing what I love to do – communicate with others. I’m thrilled to be attending Virginia Commonwealth University in the fall, where I can begin working towards my future career.