Sue Matthews world was shaken when daughter Taylor was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 11.

Yet while so much was uncertain, Matthews discovered that their day-to-day experience was still in their control.

By compartmentalizing your fear, youre able to be more present on the good days.

Thats how I got a lot of my anger and sadness out, she says.

I would say, Youre not going for chemo todayyoure going to kill cancer.

Think of it as Pac-Man.

Pac-Man is going to eat up the cancer cells.

Taylor would open her eyes and smile.

Wed go in for her chemo, and that would be it.

Wed be like, Okay, now were a step closer to getting rid of it.

After every round of chemo, theyd celebrate at a hibachi restaurant that Taylor loved and Matthews hated.

That became a little ritual, she says.

Life was crazytheir days and nights mixed together and they never knew what was coming next.

But that was part of the fun of it, Matthews said.

When I called her and told her that Taylor had relapsed, she screamed, NO!

Ill never forget that.

She was my soul mate, my sister, 100 percent of the time.

When Taylor started getting mouth sores, someone brought a blender to the hospital.

My community really stepped up, she says.

The moment Matthews read it, she told her daughter, Never say that again.

Never say youre sorry for me.

All I want to do is be with you.

All I want to do is be your mommy and Im so privileged to be your mommy.

So many kids who are sick have a tremendous amount of guilt, Matthews says.

They think theyre ruining peoples lives and that everyone would be better off without them.

Matthews made sure she lived as normal of a life as possible.

After one surgery, Taylor was determined to go home for Halloween, her favorite holiday.

She weaned herself off pain meds and had her tubes taken out.

But doctors insisted she couldnt leave because she needed to be on oxygen.

Matthews wouldnt take that answer, telling doctors, Wait a minute.

Is oxygen the only thing keeping her here?

The next day, an oxygen tank showed up at their home, just in time for Halloween.

Sometimes, the hospital staff would get frustrated when Matthews fought orders, and would call her Dr. Matthews.

Id say, Im sorry.

I know Im not a doctor.

But I am giving my daughter a life.

I couldnt take it, she says.

People were coming up to me and asking what my other childs SAT scores were.

I was like, are you kidding me?

Parents were talking about nonsense, complaining that their kids cant drive or do this or that.

So I lost friends on purpose.

I had to cut out anything that was toxic.

And to this day, I still have to cut out anything thats toxic.

She says Taylors life has helped her focus on what matters and live with more intention.

I was like, I cant even believe you asked that question.

I had 16 beautiful years with my daughter.

I was blessed every day she was here.