In April of last year, Vanda went to the hospital with numbing on one side of her body. We assumed that it was symptoms of a stroke until she had been in the hospital for about a week, and the doctors had discovered it was a brain tumor, later figuring out that it is an astrocytoma, grade 3. Even then, the doctors could barely hold in their excitement for how amazing it was that they caught it so early in the process. Even with the terrible news that we were being faced with an aggressive tumor, Vanda has stayed strong in her faith and her ways of life to the best of her ability, so much that she had tried to continue working until she knew that she absolutely could not anymore. Vanda tries her best to keep her family’s life as normal as it could be for as long as it could be, and believe me, it has not gone unnoticed. Even while going through radiation and chemo with side effects that most anyone would complain about, and rightfully so, she does not. Vanda has taken this illness head on with courage and strength. Just by witnessing what my mom goes through on a day-to-day basis, she has made me a stronger woman by giving me the privilege of watching how a strong woman handles the battles that she is faced with, and I am grateful to have such an inspiring role model in my life. Everyone around Vanda believes in her, and we are all ready to continue fighting brain cancer! Mom: you are tough, you are beautiful, and you are amazing! We ALL love you!