My mom ended her battle with stage 4 small cell lung cancer one year exactly after her diagnosis. During her life she was one of the hardest working people I have ever known. She was a single mom to me and my older sister. I never truly realized and appreciated how much she did for us as she struggled working long hours to keep us clothed, fed, and sheltered. She was a teacher’s aide for 15 years, and reluctantly retired when she became too weak and immunocompromised to work around young children anymore. She decided she wanted to donate her body after she was diagnosed with cancer, hoping it may possibly help with lung cancer research.