Cristina-Liz, a young mother of two boys, was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in 2015 at the age of 30. Like many of us, her journey with breast cancer came with ups and downs. But, she refused to let that define her life and how she lived. Cristina loved her family and her friends and when she wasn’t working, she enjoyed cooking, couponing and watching her beloved 49’ers. Anyone who knew Cristina will tell you when you walked into her home, she instantly made you feel like family. Even through treatment, she continued to do these things.

Cristina and Marissa met on Instagram while they were in the middle of chemotherapy. Both longing to find someone who just “got it” without having to explain what “it” was. Through texts and phone calls, they could laugh, cuss, shout and cry; a sisterhood they did not realize they needed, but so glad it happened.

In July 2016, after Cristina and Marissa both completed chemo, they met for the first time in person and immediately clicked! Cristina was always open about her disease with others and even made her Instagram page public so that she could reach other women. She wanted to show that breast cancer is not all pink ribbons, butterflies and rainbows. But a realness that most of us, who are so very private battling this disease can relate to and hardly ever talk about.

Sadly, Cristina passed away July 2018 after finding out the disease returned and metastasized, one year after she completed her first round of treatment. The one thing Cristina taught us, was to continue living your best life, regardless of the circumstance.