Those of you closest to me know in September of 2015, having never smoked a cigarette in her life, my mother was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. Thanks to modern cancer treatments, my mom’s incredible will to survive and God’s grace, she’s still with us today. There’ve been many ups and downs along the way, and just when we thought she was done fighting, she’d pull through one more time. Recently, after having issues with her speech, my mom went to the doctor get a scan of her brain. The news, though not necessarily a surprise, cut through our hearts with deep agony; the cancer had spread to her brain.

My mom recently underwent two weeks of radiation and is still fighting, but we all know her time on this Earth is limited.

One of her last wishes is to go on a cruise ship with her closest family members. I’m certainly not usually one to ask for money, but fulfilling her wishes and allowing her to do something fun with the ones she loves qualifies as an exception for me. I set a goal of $5,000 to cover flights and cruise costs. Any extra we receive will go to a savings account to cover end-of-life costs.

We’re blessed to have such great family and friends in our lives. I’m grateful for all of you! To those of you still reading this, go tell the people in your life you love them, none of us are guaranteed tomorrow.