Introduction from new member and contributor!

Hello everyone!  My name is Amy, and I am an employee with HealthCentral living in Alexandria, VA.  I have recently become an expert contributor to the HealthCentral Breast Cancer community, and wanted to take a few moments to first introduce myself to you!  The reason I have joined this community is that in March of 2009, I lost my wonderful mother after she finally succumbed to her 25 year battle with breast cancer.  The strength, optimism, hope, and courage she showed during her entire illness was very inspirational for me, as I know it was for others who were drawn to her throughout her life.  Over the next several weeks, I will be sharing with you my thoughts on being a daughter of a mother who was diagnosed and lived with breast cancer, and the legacy and hope she left with me and many others around her.  My goal is to hopefully motivate other people who either live with breast cancer themselves, or who have family members or loved ones that live with breast cancer, to remain optimistic, because I truly believe it extended my mother's quality and quantity of life, as well as my (and my family's) own ability to cope with her illness.  I really look forward to sharing my story with all of you, and getting to know more about you and your own stories as well!