There's a lot of people in the world that lack a parent for many reasons. Some are into drugs, some have abandonment issues, some got separated for numerous reasons, and some have just simply passed away. In my case, my mother was taken way too soon by a nasty disease called cancer.

I was too young to understand what was happening at the time, but deep down I knew my mother was sick — very sick. When she told me she was terminal, I broke down.

Growing up without her has been close to tragic. She wasn't there for my first period, first dance, my sweet 16, my 18th birthday, my first job, graduation. In spirit, I knew she was always with me during those special times, but it would've been nice if I could run into her arms after every good thing. Not a day goes by that I don't think of her and miss her dearly.

It's always been so hard for me to see my friends or other people with their mothers, post, or even talk about them. I always felt (and still feel) the jealousy that comes with people who are lucky enough to still have their mother in their lives, but that's just something I've always had to deal with.

Growing up without a mother has been one of the hardest things I have ever had to endure. I can only imagine the woman she, and I, myself, would be if she were still here today. There are a lot of things that would be so different now had she never died, but I don't like to think of things that way. Anyone who loses a parent knows what kind of toll this takes on a life, but they always learn how to roll with the punches because that is what their parent would have wanted for them: to be happy and live life to the fullest.

I miss my mother everyday, but I know she is always here. And I cannot wait until the day I get to see her again.