Strong As Steele

08/08/2026

It’s amazing how sometimes, the little things can bring you to your knees. I have been traveling a lot lately on business so the days have been a bit of a blur. I was cleaning my home office this morning and came across these two items. They made me pause for a moment… not because I don’t think about Taylor Steele on the daily but because they both brought a different set of memories flooding back to me. Tay’s Captain band served her like a badge of courage. She played her heart out for her teammates even when she felt like crud after a chemo treatment. She was proud to lead her team, work hard and have a tribe with amazing girls. She was always there for her people. No matter what! The bead fused puppy was made in the hospital, a couple of weeks prior to her gaining her wings. She sat with 2 pediatric patients in the playroom. One was battling brain cancer the other leukemia. Both were under the age of 6. Taylor was 17. To watch her interact and make fused bead creations with these two young patients while making them laugh and forget for just a moment, was priceless. While I was in this walk down memory lane I received 2 text messages from some very special people. I hadn’t thought about today’s date yet today. In fact, I hadn’t thought about the date yesterday either since I was on and off planes all day. Their kind texts reminded me that today marks 15 years since I got to hold my sweet daughter’s hand and say goodbye. 15 years!!! I wasn’t sure how I was going to make it through the first day let alone first year on this day 15 years ago.
I was speaking at a conference this week in Kansas and the KC Wolf spoke right before me. This man with a handful of Super Bowl rings spoke about many things but one of which was losing his wife to cancer recently. We had a chance to speak for a moment after and I told him Tay’s story. He asked how I got through it. I told him day by day and sometimes hour by hour. By leaning on faith and that you don’t get over grief, you get through it. It doesn’t really get better, it just gets different. Dan (KC Wolf) is a man of faith and as tears welled up he said he knew that would get to celebrate with his wife again someday. He’ll be just fine! 💛
It is these interactions in life that remind me that Taylor is always with me. 15 years ago she got her wings but she flys with me each and every day! Kisses to Heaven, love you Tay, miss you always.

11/25/2025

You can still head to the Taylor Steele Cancer Foundation website to register for the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning! Praying for a little wind so we don’t have a foggy morning! Take a look at this swag that every participant gets this year! That is some pretty cool hardware right there!😁 Who is ready?!🏃‍♀️🏃🦃🍗🙋‍♀️

11/05/2025

10/14/2025

It’s that time of year again!! Please come out and join us for the Turkey Trot for Teal
in downtown Herald on Thanksgiving morning. Sign up early to assure you receive a finisher medal. They are pretty darn cool!😎 Runners, joggers and walkers welcome. Come start your day with great conversation and community.
We ARE thankful for you!

09/09/2025

Please show us your pics and use this day to spread awareness of ovarian cancer.💛📣

09/08/2025

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09/05/2025

Know the symptoms. In Taylor’s case she was 12 when diagnosed so we had a very unique situation where she was having lower back pain that moved into abdominal pain. Know your body and get the unusual checked out. We are holding hope for a means for early detection but there hasn’t been much progress in that area. We won’t give up! Know the signs… share the signs…

09/03/2025

September is both Childhood Cancer Awareness Month as well as Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. We continue to recognize both the gold ribbon and the teal ribbon. Taylor was a child with an adult form of cancer so we bring awareness on both fronts. Help us spread the word by wearing your teal on Tuesdays for Taylor. Please show us your Teal Tuesday for Tay photos and we will share ours too!🩱💛

08/09/2025

14 years ago today, Taylor gained her wings. I remember packing our things in our hospital room, walking to the parking lot…running into one of our favorite nurses that was just coming on to her shift and sharing a long hug and a good cry with her. I remember driving home from the hospital with a car full of momento’s and 2 bags filled with Taylor and my clothes. We had been “living” in the hospital together for about 4 months. I remember going through the motions of driving but I couldn’t tell you a thing about my route home. Even though we knew what was coming, the truth is one can really never be ready for it. It being the final breath, the quiet goodbye, the leaving it to the medical team to transport a piece of your heart to prepare for a final resting place. Thank God we had become so close with the nurses that I knew they would care for Tay like she was their own. I remember sitting around the firepit as a family recounting all of our memories of Tay. I remember a shooting star and I remember the feel of the hole in my heart. The past 14 years have been filled with blessings, what if’s, the questions of what she’d be doing today and of course the never ending missing of her laugh, smile, and genuine personality. I recently ran into a person I didn’t know while wearing my Taylor Steele Cancer Foundation hat. He approached me, pointed to my hat and asked if that was the girl who had gone to Liberty Ranch that passed away from cancer. I explained I was her Mom and he teared up gave me a hug and told me we had raised a great human. He then explained that he had somehow been involved with LRHS and there wasn’t one person that he crossed paths with that hadn’t loved Taylor. He recounted conversations with students that told her story. I don’t know his name but I left that brief encounter knowing Tay’s work is still being done. The journey didn’t have the ending the we had hoped for but there have been many little blessings along the way that remind us of Taylor’s presence. Kisses to Heaven, Tay. You are loved… always❤️

04/15/2025

If you haven’t gotten your tickets yet, don’t miss out! This inaugural event is promising to be a special evening! Share with your friends. Hope to see you there!