What is the most rewarding part of being a mom?

It’s definitely raising three children to adulthood as a single Mom. The reward was making it through breast cancer and COVID and they still turned out to be awesome human beings. Breast cancer was devastating and now living with Long COVID is debilitating. With a double mastectomy I still managed to carry around a wound vac and attend as many events as possible. Seeing kids’ faces light up when I walked through the doors when my health allowed it, was the most rewarding part of being a Mom.

What is the biggest lesson motherhood has taught you?

You don’t always get it “right” raising your children. You hope when your kids are grown they see you did your best. My biggest lesson is to show my adult children that even though Mom made mistakes raising them, they realize all three of them were top priorities with unconditional love. A love that surpassed any missed sporting events or school functions. And that they realize even when I’m gone, they will always have my heart walking around with them as they forge their own path in this world.

What would you do with $20,000?

I would treat myself to a few luxuries like several massages, pedicures, take my kids out-to-eat a bit more, do a makeover, invest in some updated clothes, pay off some medical bills, and apply money towards tuition for my kids’ colleges. You never realize how much medical bills quickly add up until you’re faced with cancer and an almost crippling disease from a virus you never asked for or understood. Life is hard and $20,000 would make mine just a bit easier.