Day 07 – A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you

This changed my life. Don't get me wrong, I've definitely grown and learn a ton from this experience and I wouldn't change it for anything. 

I love my mom, and I'm so grateful for all she has done in my life.

Sure we got free meals for a year, that was definitely a plus! Our ward was awesome, I cannot explain how much L♥VE I feel towards them all, and the unlimited service they did. 

I love my family to death, and I'm soooooo glad I get to live with them forever!!

It was the summer of my sophomore year in high school when my mom found her lump. I was learning to drive, and I had a steady group of girl friends goin at the time. I believe I was at the BYU dance camp when she found it, and I had no idea what was going on with my family.

I got home from my dance camp, and my mom told me she found a lump in her left breast. She felt ok about it though, because my grandma and my aunts have all had cysts removed, and non cancerous.

So my mom went in for her check up, and we waited to hear back from the doctors. I heard that women are supposed to start checking their breasts at a young age, and to start getting mammograms when they turn 40. My mom was turning 40 in two weeks. 

I remember me, my sisters, mom, and grandma were all scrap booking (which we RARELY do fyi) in the bonus room above my grandparents garage when my mom's cell phone rang. I answered the phone, and I recognized the number.

My dad works at the hospital, so I've seen that number plenty of times.

I can see it now: all of us laughing and getting along great, when I look my mom in the eye and told her who was on the phone, and handed it over to her. 

All the rest was kind of a blur because I ran out of the room, completely numb. 

My mom went through multiple chemotherapy doses, plus radiation. Both were extremely hard for her, and hard on her body especially. Even now, she still struggles from the effects of chemo.

I remember getting home from school to see my mom lying in her bed pale, sick, tired, and drained because of chemo, and she couldn't do a single thing. 

She's my hero, and it was extremely tough to stay positive through it all. It was hard on all of us as a family, like I said, but this experience brought us together

My Dad, Uncle Cory (my moms younger bro), and my mother

The fam at Michelle Jone's wedding