January 26, 2015 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I was 38 years old. I was terrified and overwhelmed. One of my blogging friends, Rudri, sent me one of The Giving Keys beautiful necklaces with the word "courage" on it. I loved the sentiment behind it and loved that I was to pay it forward. I wore it often and cherished it. While I was going through surgery, chemo, radiation and more chemo, I would wear my "courage" necklace and feel stronger.
I was waiting for the perfect person to send it to, to pay it forward. Recently a friend of mine at work came to talk to me after school. Her granddaughter, Aine, who is 2 and has Down Syndrome, was diagnosed with leukemia. When I was diagnosed with cancer, I was so thankful that it was me and not one of my children. My daughter, Olivia, has 5p- syndrome and I can't imagine watching her go through treatment for cancer. It has to be especially tough when your child is so young and unable to understand what's going on.
I finally found someone who needed courage more than I do. I imagine Aine's mother, Alexandria, will wear it on days when she thinks she can't make it through one more day and I hope it will give her strength just like it did for me.
-Tiffany
