Brenda, a mother of a teenage boy, married David Schmitz, a divorced father with two younger sons. A year later, baby Max was born to the couple. The family lived in Ankeny, Iowa, a small football town. Brenda adored pottery, like her #1 MOM coffee mug and a birthday plate used to make each child a special birthday breakfast. She was planning a big celebration for Cameron's eighteenth birthday in a few weeks.

However, Brenda finally had an appointment with her gynecologist to discover what was causing terrible abdominal pain and stealing her appetite. Brenda and David were shocked to learn that she had stage-4 ovarian cancer; this diagnosis explained the symptoms. A fighter, Brenda considered this a battle to be won. Every course of chemotherapy was endured as the key to getting back to the life and family she loved. After follow-up surgery that was only partially successful, Brenda walked out of the hospital, leaving "her hope stranded on the eighth floor."

The author has created a tear-jerker throughout this 221-page true story, and readers should keep the tissue box handy for the surprise ending. However, the overall impact of the story might have been even greater through the inclusion of more backstory. An extremely touching aspect to the book is the fact that Brenda wrote letters to each of her four sons and had one for David sent to the local news station. Two years later, Brenda’s special wish was read over the news, and the whole town, including author Haley, learned what Brenda wished for her widowed husband. In the afterword, Haley poignantly reveals that nothing could break apart family ties that a selfless mother leaves behind.

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