When I was just 7 years old, my mom was diagnosed with cancer. At that age, I didn’t fully understand what it meant — I just knew everything was about to change completely. Life turned 360 degrees. I kept attending my primary classes at church, but I knew deep down that nothing from here on out would be easy.
My dad worked full time to cover the medical expenses and provide for us. My older sister made the difficult decision to drop out of her first year of college to take care of our mom. Still, even with all these sacrifices, we didn’t have enough money for everything we needed. But what we lacked in resources, we made up for in faith and unity.
During those years, I learned the meaning of the 13th Article of Faith more deeply than ever before:
“We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.”
Article of Faith 13
We clung to hope. I remember praying constantly, asking God to give my mom strength — to give me strength. One night, before we left for a cabin in the middle of nowhere, my mom sat beside me and read aloud her own priesthood blessing. She wanted me to hear the promises she had received — to feel peace, courage, and the assurance that miracles were still possible. That night, she reminded me to trust in God’s timing and to hold on to faith, no matter how uncertain things seemed.
Those were the hardest years of my life — but also the most hopeful. I was just a child, but I began to understand how powerful it is to seek light even in darkness. And in the face of fear and uncertainty, I learned to hope fiercely, to endure bravely, and to search for all that is virtuous and good.
