In memory of Cynthia Hammar

On Thursday, 8 Jan 2015 my life changed forever when my mom passed away after a short, bravely fought battle with cancer. Thankfully, we were all there when she took her final breath and got the chance to give her one last kiss goodbye. Even during those last few hours we shared together, it was clear to see my mom's love for my dad, us kids and her grandkids shining through. Everyday I ask myself the same questions: why would someone so young and healthy be taken from us in this way? What is the meaning of life? Unfortunately, there are no answers. All I know is that we need to follow our dreams and live everyday as if it's our last, with no regrets. You need to take a minute to appreciate your family and really live in every moment. Time is our most precious resource, you can never get it back, so make every minute count. If there's something you've been putting off doing, do it and don't look back. Thank you to everyone who has prepared meals for us, sent words of comfort, shared memories they've had of my mom or even just given us a hug. The support we've had from family, friends and the community has been unbelievable. My mom was my rock, my voice of reason and was always there for me when I needed her. I will always cherish the time we had together and her loving, generous spirit will continue to live on through her children and grandchildren. To keep her memory alive, I've decided to raise money for Cancer Research UK. My mom had surgery to remove a brain tumor followed by radiation treatment. Although we don't know where the cancer originated from, the money will be going towards brain tumor research. Brain tumours can be very difficult to treat. Survival rates are very low compared to other cancer types. Research is making an important difference to people with brain tumours. In the early 1970s around 2 in 10 people survived the disease for at least one year, now it's around 4 in 10 and much higher for children. But there is still a long way to go. Please support this worthy cause in memory of my mom.