Mike Williams was my best friend for a long time. His mom died of cancer when I was eleven. As I recall she was sick for a year or two before she passed away. I spent the night over at their house one evening after she had begun chemotherapy and happened to catch a glimpse of her without her wig on. As the disease progressed it got harder for her to walk and eventually she couldn't get out of bed.

I remember the service they had after she passed. Mike cried a little bit but he seemed okay. I comforted him as best as I could and tried to imagine life without my own mother. I still can't. The hardest part was when Grant, Mike's dad, talked about Jane. He cried through most of the eulogy; it was obvious how much he had loved his wife.

Jane was an English teacher by trade and an activist at heart, as well as a caring, intelligent mother. She was always kind to me and I hope the man I am today would make her proud.