My mother, Teressa, is an inspiration to everyone who comes in to contact with her. Growing up, my mom was a single parent raising 3 daughters - one who is an overachiever, one rebel and one with special needs. Kim was born with a rare disability. She also has Epilepsy. Kim is literally one in a billion with her rare condition. However, despite my sisters challenges, my mom never stopped giving Kim the care she required. My mom is the greatest advocate for all her children; especially Kim.
My mom always thought that with her career and kids that no one would ever want to be with her. And then one day the overachiever and the rebel daughters both, separately, made her mad. Instead of coming home she stopped to gather her thoughts and grab a drink. That's the night she met Steve. They were both hooked on each other from that day and there was no looking back. He had a lot to prove to her daughters, because only our mom deserved the best! Well, he sure was the best! After realizing how much he loved our mother and how he took care of Kim, there was no doubt that he won over our families' hearts!
They married in '09 and over the years gained 3 grandchildren. My parents loved going out dancing and spoiling their loved ones. But the last 3 years were not so kind to my parents. Steve had gotten sick and was in dire need of a double lung transplant. He was able to get his new lungs pretty quick. Steve recovered fast and life was looking up for him.
Sadly, that wasn't the end of his troubles. His new lungs had a common virus in them, which lead to endless surgeries. Eventually his body couldn't handle any more, and it took his life this past July. My mom's best friend, soulmate and pyramid-builder passed away; she has been lost ever since. My mom has not been given an easy life that's for sure. She is the strongest person I will EVER know in my lifetime. She INSPIRES me to be my best and always reminds me to be kind even if life hasn't been to kind to you.
-Stacy
