You see it on television, in the paper, on the internet. You hear personal stories of both success and sadness, and learn about both advances and setbacks in the fight against it. But you don’t actually know cancer until you are straight up confronted by it. And at that point, all other recollections of what you knew about cancer before then completely changes.

My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was in 5th grade. I came home from school one day and she was crying at the kitchen sink. That’s the last memory I have from the months of chemotherapy and radiation. My memory blocked out everything about the horrible disease and problems it presented my family. Next, I remember my Mom being healthy and above all else, happy.

This month has been Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It’s been a month of celebrating survivors and praising the legacy of those who lost their fight but whose memories live on in family and friends who continue the fight against breast cancer. For me, it’s a month of reflecting how lucky I am to have my Mom, and how very lucky we are that cancer didn’t take anything from her – in fact, it made her stronger.

It renewed her love for life. It encouraged her to experience new things and take life a little less seriously. It reminded her to cherish every moment. It turned my Mom from a patient into a fighter, and champion for not just herself but for others. And, as if it was even possible, it made her even more of a compassionate human being.

I am extremely blessed to have such an amazing mother with an inspirational story and the ability to share her talents and compassion with the world. She has designed 2 Hallmark Breast Cancer Awareness cards, which are handed out for free every year at all Hallmark Gold Crown stores. She and my family participate nearly every year in the Kansas City Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, where we meet other survivors and have the privilege of hearing their stories and supporting their cause. Once, my mom was even pictured on a giant truck along with other survivors as the face of breast cancer.

But it’s beyond the general things that make me most proud of my mother – it’s her personal touches that she extends to not just her family, but to all those she meets. It’s her capacity to love that inspires me to write and to remind people to continue fighting for the cause. Let me tell you a story.

At one of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cures (which, before she had been diagnosed, my mother would have never tried to participate in, just because it is outside of her comfort zone) we met an amazing single mother of 2 young children who was diagnosed with breast cancer in her early twenties. Scary and unbelievable, right? Our entire family was touched by her story and extended our sincerest wishes and prayers to help her get through such hard times. But my mother took it a step further. My mom took down her name and contact information and sent her presents and offered her support whenever was necessary. She just knew, from one fighter to another fighter, that help was only a kind extended hand away.

This is what October means to me. It means wearing my pink with pride and knowing the impact a simple ‘how are you doing today?’ can have. It means taking time to help those in need even when they don’t ask for it. It means remembering my mother’s fight and her continued dedication to help those around her.

October 31 is just Halloween to most people. It’s also the end of Breast Cancer Awareness Month – but that’s only a title. Breast cancer awareness and any kind of cancer awareness doesn’t stop when the promotions, commercials and “special events” end. It ends when cancer is gone. God bless those who have fought, survived or lost their battle with cancer, and their families and friends who keep them strong.