This post is mainly for anyone going through some sort of cancer battle, fighting each day to get to that victory on the other side of the battlefield. But it is also for anyone struggling with something so big that it slaps you in the face right in the middle of an ordinary moment: mental health issues, financial troubles, family stress, anything that can stop you dead in your tracks when the struggle gets too overwhelming.

KEEP GOING. Do not stop fighting. Don’t even give yourself the option to give up. Focus on that sunny day, that victory, that green meadow across the troll bridge, however you need to visualize it. Don’t lose sight of WHY you’re struggling. We fight for what we care about.

I still have days where the reality sneaks in when I least expect it. I’ve stopped mid-laugh when I remember why I’m in Texas. That my life is literally not guaranteed. That the cancer could actually kill me. That the chemo could do the same. That the flu could be my undoing if the timing is bad. All of that and more creeps in to my brain and brings tears to my eyes.

But I focus on the goal. I think about my kids growing up, graduating high school. I think about teaching them to drive and wonder what their first jobs will be. I think about looking over at my greying (but still very handsome) husband as we hold our first grandchild. I hold onto all the things I’m living for so I can keep on fighting. 

And I want you to do the same. Never give up and know you don’t have to fight alone.