Heather Johnson is a dedicated mom, a loving wife and a cancer warrior. Heather decided early on in her fight with colon cancer that she would wage an all-out war against the disease. With her friends and family by her side, she has written an online journal, raised money through the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life and focused her energy on “living, surviving and thriving.”

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My name is Heather Johnson. I’m 38 years old, and I was diagnosed with metastatic colon cancer. My online persona is that of Heather Johnson, the warrior. When I was diagnosed, I was devastated. I’m a mother. I have two small children, Grace and Katie. When I was diagnosed, Katie was nine months old.

I spent maybe two or three days just being weepy and in shock over my diagnosis. And then one morning I just said, No way I’m not rolling over for this. I’m 38. I’m gonna beat this. I’m gonna fight this. I’m a warrior. I’m coming at this with everything that I’ve got. I have too much to live for, and I will fight it with my last breath.

It’s been very empowering for me to decide that I wasn’t just going to accept this diagnosis and lay down for my treatment. I’m going to show my children that, when hardships befall you, you need to stand up. You need to put your dukes up. You need to fight. You need to fight hard. And find a warrior in yourself and not let struggles break you.

Let them make you stronger. I push myself very hard. I’m up. I’m walking on my treadmill. I’m doing things healthy people do. Take that cancer. I have relied very heavily on Facebook and on The journal I created on CaringBridge as places of support and places where I sometimes gather my strength.

I need to talk myself up to get my game on and bring it. And sometimes it’s in putting those words out there that, That I’m here to annihilate cancer. That I’m here to stand up. That I feel myself getting stronger. And I’ve been connected through Facebook with a lot of my high school friends and college friends and people I don’t even know who have heard about my story, been touched by my story, and have wanted to reach out to me.

People will come to post their support or share with us that they’re praying for us and standing beside us and standing with us to, to fight against this terrible disease. My sister in law and brother in law had a shirt made for me that is a Baltimore Ravens jersey. My husband and I are both big fans and season ticket holders.

And it says Warrior on the back because they felt that really captured my spirit and the spirit in which I’m fighting this disease. I wear my Warrior jersey to each of my chemotherapy sessions. The football season has long ended, but I’m still in the game. I’m still wearing my jersey. I’m still here.