When Veronica Diaz walked through the doors of Mission Hope Cancer Center in Santa Maria, she didn’t speak English. She didn’t even have health insurance. What she did have was determination, a mother’s persistent will to live for her children.

Born and raised in Topungo, Michoacán, Mexico, Veronica grew up as a happy child surrounded by the love of her parents and siblings. At the age of 18, she emigrated to the United States in search of a better life.

But the American dream came with hardship, an 11-year marriage marked by emotional and psychological abuse. It wasn’t until she moved from Bel Aire to Santa Maria with her children that she finally began to rebuild her life.

Then came the lump.

At first, Veronica thought little of it, because she had just finished breastfeeding her you

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