SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35 ORLANDO) -
It doesn't take long for us to see first hand what the 32-year-old mother of two, Carrie Newman, is dealing with -- two children, ages 5 and 7, who love their mother more than they can explain at such a young age. Newman is also fighting a battle with cancer that no amount of years on this earth will allow any of us to fully understand.
"There are days when I just feel I can't take this anymore. If I get one more thing, I will want to just give up," she said. "But then I have my fiance, my kids, and they remind me of why I do this every day."
Before doctors diagnosed her with cervical cancer in 2009, Carrie wanted to be a firefighter. She worked full time as a Seminole County Sheriff's Office dispatcher. She was a single mom, but then a routine exam resulted in the diagnosis, which led to an ovarian cancer diagnosis, and most recently, cancer of the kidney.
But all that also led her to this man, Steve Sedlack, the love of her life. Sedlack said, "You don't choose who you fall in love with, it just happens. Every relationship has struggles, and you just have to put your head down and push through them."
Carrie said Steve's mother worked at the Sheriff's Office with her and always told her she and Steve would be perfect together and that they are so similar.
And she was right. Once Carrie and Steve met last New Year's Eve, they fell in love in the middle of the biggest battle of Carrie's life. Carrie said with a big smile, "That's why he's my angel. God sent him for me. I really truly believe that."
"It makes me want to live a better life, be a better father, be a better person, and it's all because of her," Steve said.
It's a love story that has sparked the community to rally around this family and give them support both financially and emotionally.
Doctors have given Carrie a 23 percent chance of living longer than five years, but she and Steve say that is just a number they intend to beat.
