them so much stronger than adults, due to their innocence and honesty. I began by not mentioning the word cancer, just stating that a little lump that shouldn't be there needed to be removed, so that meant a few days in hospital. They nodded in understanding but I could see they knew there was more to it than what I was telling them. Within a day or two, they must have discussed the situation between themselves, talked to friends and googled some sites. They came into my bedroom and looked me straight in the eye saying: "Mummy, you would tell us if you had breast cancer, wouldn't you? You wouldn't hide the truth from us?" I looked at those two earnest faces and knew that I had to say yes. Mia immediately followed with: "So that means you'll have a mastectomy to remove it all, then?" Gosh, they seemed to know it all! They accepted this news almost matter-of-factly, but my husband and I were careful to show them that we were not scared, and that I was going to be taken care of by the best doctors and nurses that we could find. The surgery went as well as I could have hoped; however, I was then given the devastating news that the cancer had travelled to my lymph nodes. This meant that I would now have to face several months of chemotherapy and all the horrible side effects that go with it. Gaining strength from my daughters Those