Her cancer diagnosis made motherhood both harder and more sweet

Monique Morris faced a Stage 2 breast cancer diagnosis at 31, just after her son Brandon turned 1. Through her treatments, Brandon always gave her a reason to smile, she says.

As cancer rates rise among people under 50, more and more parents are facing the heightened emotions and challenging logistics of raising kids while going through treatment.

(Image credit: Caleb Alvarado for NPR)