'Anything you set your mind to'

If you ask this wife and mother when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, she can give you the exact date and probably the time, too.

One day last summer she found a lump in her breast. Seven days later she had a mastectomy.

"None of my family members have had breast cancer, so the diagnosis hit me out of the blue.

"I've got just one chemo left and then I'll have radiation and, finally, more surgery. I'll have to be off work another three or four months.

"My second chemo has been way better than the first. The first was very hard on me and made me seriously sick. My last one will be the end of December, so it'll be a good start to the new year."

With three young children to support, it is difficult for this normally two-income family to make ends meet on the single salary earned by her husband.

"Because of my wonderful family, I have everything to live for," she said. She enjoys her job at the local school district and said she missed going to work. "But my health is my first priority at this time.

"My husband has been awesome. He has stepped up to the plate and been great helping with the household. Because of his job, he often has to be gone from home 24 hours at a time. My kids are wonderful, too. They've adapted quite well. We haven't hid anything from them and we've given them information at a level they can understand."

She said that her goal was to keep her family's life as normal as it could be for her kids.

"I was only out of surgery three days before I took my kids to the fair. I just wasn't going to let cancer ruin my world. It makes me feel good to be an example to them - to show my kids you can do anything you set your mind to."

With our readers' assistance, Press Christmas for All works to brighten the holidays for people like this - the jobless, homeless, those who are barely making ends meet, individuals with disabilities or illnesses. Many are alone this holiday season.

Each year, our generous readers' donations allow us to assist thousands of Kootenai County families in need. Each day until Christmas, we will share the stories of those whose holiday memories will be a little happier because of Press Christmas for All.

Donations are collected, then distributed in the form of gift cards to Kootenai County residents in need.

Press Christmas for All is a holiday charity now in its 28th year. It is managed as a nonprofit by The Hagadone Corp. Because it is run by volunteers from The Hagadone Corp. and their partners at Kootenai County Fire and Rescue, every penny raised is distributed in the form of gift cards from local retailers who also generously support the program. The cards can be used to buy food and gifts but not alcohol or tobacco products. All contributions are tax deductible.

To give, please send a check to:

Press Christmas for All, 201 Second St., Coeur d'Alene, ID 83814.

You can also call (208) 664-8176 weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. and donate by credit card.

Donations can be made securely online at www.christmasforallcda.com

Recent donors: Coeur d'Alene Athletic Roundtable, Warren Keene, Oram and Sandra Kramer, J. and P. Albee, Marie Dubacher, Lucille and John Smith, Tim Bedal and Linda Miller, Adrienne and Larry Unruh, Laura Donald, Marvin Taylor (In loving memory of Mardell Taylor, wife, mother and grandmother), Sorenson School District, Thomas and Kathleen Schaper, Barbara and Barb Crumpacker, Doyle Tony Stewart, Ralph Capaul (In Memory of Irene Capaul), Laureate Eta - Beta Chapter, Donald and Judy Schaffer, Bonnie Warwick (Love and blessings to those in need of Christmas cheer), Larry and Sharon Strobel, Jerry and Ellen Jaeger, Bonnie Ann McDowell (In memory of my husband George and son Randy), Don and Cindy Scharenberg, William and Donna Faris, James and Nancy Barney, Roger and Renee Kauffman, Betty Magee, Michael and Nancy Presti, Paul and Gail Morton, Stacy Carson, Kenneth and Karen Moore, Eloise Swanson, Thomas and Sherri Patton (In memory of our son Tyler J. Patton), Keith and Sandy Matheney, David and Karen Crouse, Duchess Tomson Emerson, Coleman Engineering, Inc., K. Ann Halbert, Joyce and Brian Kratz-Klatt (In memory of Devon), Marian M. Owsley, Glen and Shirley Hell, V.L. Anderson, Gary and Arlene Anderson, Richard A. Nordstrom Logging Inc., C. and S. Kirby, J.F. Anderson, Gratia H. Griffith, Bob and Mary Nuttelman, Donna and Charles Walker, Robert Avon, Vicki Adamson (In Memory of my grandson Ryan Reinhardt), Barbara and M. Vigue, Shane Bell, Jeffrey Cobb (In memory of my mother, Jeanne Stout), Pam Ness, Cal and Corrine Meierbachtol, Delores Griffin, Elinor Diltz, Micki and Stephen Glynn, Dan and Erika Grubar, Dennis and Nancy Johnson, Joan Day, Coeurlys Q's Square Dance Club, Anonymous, Anonymous, Luther and Debbie Russell, Doucette and Crump Family, William Wood, Margaret F. Regehr, R Jensen, Steve and Julie Latina, Patricia Swann, Jim and Donna Runge, Brian and Janice Odenthal, In loving memory of Floyd Masteller, James and Georgia Warren, Greg and Diane Snyder, Harry and Ione Perry, Craig and Janet Heilman, Jill and Jack Delavan, Robert Sharp (in loving memory of Nora Sharp).