I will never forget when I learned that my dear mom had breast cancer. I was terrified. My mom has been the rock of my life since the dreadful day I learned, at 12 years of age, that my dad had passed away. So the specter of losing my mom to a disease that robs so many wonderful, beautiful women of their lives every year shook me to the core. My mom is a fighter and an amazingly strong woman. She also loves life and her family so much that she fought with all her might to stay alive and beat an advanced form of breast cancer that threatened to cut her life short. With the help of wonderful doctors, a biotechnology drug developed by Genentech, and the loving support of her family and friends, my mom now wakes up every day to the first day of her new life. So this week I honor my mom, all the remarkable, strong women who fight breast cancer every day, and those who lost this very difficult battle, by supporting Photo Studio Miami's Breast Cancer Awareness calendar.