To my mom, my mother, my momma, and my idol:

I love you so much. Without you, I would never be here where I am right now (quite literally). You've been my biggest inspiration for all 18 years of my life. You are so strong, so compassionate, and so incredibly generous. There are so many good things I could say about you. The list could go on forever. I wanted to take a moment to tell you this: Thank you.

Thank you for all that you, because you do a lot. You are a mother, a wife, a friend, a daughter, a sister, and such a hard working individual. No one ever gives you enough credit for just how much you do for other people. You continually put others before yourself when it comes to family, friends, and even your job. You are the backbone of our family and without you, our home would most definitely fall apart. You make sure that me, Gianelly, RJay, and the Chema, well, make it. You do everything. You never miss an opportunity to care for or support any of us.

Thank you for the hot dinners and the care packages.

Thank you for every text to say good morning and thank you for every call to say goodnight. Thank you for being there with me in the hospital bed and for every appointment I've ever had.

Thank you for taking me to the doctor when I was feeling sick. Thank you for supporting and loving me for who I am, regardless of my mistakes. You are my best friend.

For that and for everything, I thank you. I don't think you could ever hear that phrase enough. We appreciate you so much. We would be nothing without you. And you deserve all the love you give to others. I love you for giving me life, for loving me, and for sacrificing so much so that I can have so much. You're not only my mom, you're my role model and my best friend. You're my number one fan and you support me in everything that I do. You listen to me complain and cry and laugh. You lift me up when I am at my absolute lowest and laugh with me when I am at my highest. You are the only person I can turn to when I feel like everything is falling apart. You continually offer guidance and advice when I feel hopeless.

I've never loved anyone like I love you. You taught me true love before any boy could. You taught me unconditional love and how love sacrifices, no matter how painful. Love is strong and can never break. And thank you for the fact that you will love me unconditionally.

I'm so blessed to have been raised by you. I'm so blessed to have such a strong and compassionate person to look up to. You make me want to be a better person. I can only hope that I "grow up" to be half as an incredible of a woman as you are. You deserve so much more than I have given you because of everything you have given me. I hope that one day that I can pay you back for all that you've done, but for right here, right now, I'll just say this: Thank you. I love you.

I don't ever want to let you down. I don't want to be a person like that in your life. You've had to much pain and disappointment throughout your life. I will not be one of them.

Sincerely,

Your daughter