I’m grateful to have so many strong women in my life to learn from. These women range widely in age and in profession. Some are my relatives, some are neighbors and some are friends. I could go on and on describing amazing things about each one, but today I would like to talk about one of my favorites, my daughter Kelly.

Growing up with three brothers probably toughened Kelly up a little. Kelly was very shy and timid as a little girl but was always confident around her brothers. When we would go to a restaurant we would encourage Kelly to look at the waitress and order her own food to push her outside of her comfort zone a little. As she grew up she became more and more comfortable and independent but she still needed our guidance. After Kelly graduated from college with her nursing degree I started to notice a strong and confident Kelly. A year after she landed her first nursing job at Devos Children’s Hospital she decided to become a travel nurse and move to San Diego for a while and then to Dallas. She continued to get stronger as she experienced life far away from home and adapting to each new work environment.

As Kelly’s knowledge of nursing grew she decided to try the management side and became a Clinical Nurse Manager at Towne and Country Pediatrics in Chicago. This too helped Kelly to grow and become stronger.

Now my once shy and timid daughter is displaying her strength more than ever while being one of my patient advocates. Kelly helped me understand some sensitive medical topics as we learned more about this disease. As a medical professional and a daughter she never pushed me into making a decision even though at times she may have wanted to. This past year Kelly and I have had many serious talks about the future and about dealing with death and through these conversations we’ve both become stronger and closer.

I’m so proud of and grateful for my strong daughter.