My mama told me in college, 'I love you, and you're God's child, but natural beauty will only take you so far.'

I was brought up with the 3 Ds: Determination, Discipline and Da Lord.

It's about focusing on the fight and not the fright.

I’m grateful I had the strength to fight. It takes courage to believe the best is yet to come, especially when you are flat on your back and don’t know if you’re going to see tomorrow. I’m no Pollyanna, but I believe optimism is a choice — a muscle that gets stronger with use. Right foot, left foot…just keep moving.

Find the meaning behind whatever it is you're going through because everybody's got something.

Venture outside your comfort zone. To stop growing is to stop living.

There are those of us who believe out of that faith tradition that God never puts more on us than we can bear, and yet there are times, I think, particularly given what you were up against, that we have to question whether or not we have the capacity, the ability, the wherewithal, to actually endure it.