When people think of the word brave, they think of the literal meaning behind it. When I think of the word brave, I don't just see five letters making up a word with a meaning behind it. I see the smile of a bubbly 6-year old girl named Giulianna.

At just nine months old, Giulianna was facing a life path that required bravery. She was diagnosed with stage IV Neuroblastoma. Neuroblastoma is a cancer of the sympathetic nervous system, which runs along the spine from the neck to the lower back. Giulianna went through numerous scans, rounds of chemotherapy and surgeries, but through it all, a smile was perfectly placed on her face.

Since Giulianna was diagnosed, she has displayed nothing but hope and courage every single day. Her family has stood by her side and helped to raise money and awareness for childhood cancers. Every fall, Giulianna and her family take part in The Lemon Run, a marathon that is held to raise money for fighting childhood cancer. Even after everything, Giulianna has shown the world that even though she was diagnosed with cancer, she wasn't going to let it stop her from living her life to it's absolute fullest.

It's now 2016 and Giulianna is a bubbly 6-year-old who has been in remission for 3 years. She is a hero. She is a fighter. She is the absolute definition of courageous.

We each deal with issues that are not nearly the size of what Giulianna was dealing with. We each struggle daily to realize that there are people in this world who are going through harder times than we are. Giulianna is an example of how brave we should be.

The next time you are in a troubling situation, think of Giulianna. Think of how brave she is, we all could learn something from her.

To find out more about how you can donate money to end childhood cancer, visit Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation.