Diep Kim Ngo

A hero is not always what we see in the movies. They don't have to have special powers or know how to fly. A hero can be the crosswalk guard at school who keeps your kids safe during traffic, or the neighbor who lends his generator to others when the power goes out. It can be the postman who delivers your mail during the worst weather conditions, or the bus driver who makes that extra stop just so a few more can hop on. For us, our hero was my mom Diep.

Long ago, she and my father were forced to leave their homeland and start a new life in a foreign land. With not a lot of money, and very little English, they worked hard through the years to provide for a family of four children. She made huge sacrifices so that we wouldn't have to endure the same as we grew up. I can still remember the long hours she worked and how she rode the bus every morning to get there. How she walked a mile each way in the snow to the bus stop. How she packed a lunch every day to save money so that we could afford school supplies. This was how my mother was, always putting her family first and thinking of others.

Even after being diagnosed with cancer, my mother was strong. She refused to let it ruin her life and she would not let it take away her happiness. She watched all four of her children graduate from college. She helped with wedding ceremonies for her eldest daughter and youngest son. She experienced the joy of having grandchildren and welcoming the new ones to the family. She worked with her sisters and brothers to always keep the family first. Through it all, she continued to love each and everyone of us the same.

For 16+ years she fought bravely. Even with all the treatments, surgeries and therapies, she still came out smiling and hopeful for each day. She was a true fighter and more importantly......she fought for all of us.

She was a hero, my mother Diep.