Yvonne Campbell's life shattered one evening in early July two years ago, when her husband went to sleep and never woke up. In the space of mere hours, she went from being a wife to a single mother.

In the days following her loss, she forgot food. She forgot friends. She forgot laughter.

The one thing she remembered was her children.

Piece by piece, Yvonne gathered the courage to face their new life. Bit by bit, she mended broken fragments of herself. Her love for her three boys became the glue that secured her world. At times, seconds and minutes seemed to stretch into eternity. But the glue held fast, and time passed.

The shock at having Death wrench away part of her soul will never diminish, but Yvonne is determined to beat the sorrow by contributing to Life. She makes sure that her boys come first. She gets busy finding different ways to help others. She pursues projects, ones that allow her to empower the lives of women, especially mothers.

Alone, sometimes she ponders at the trial that God gives her and wonders if she is strong enough. Is she too strict? Is she too lenient? Are her decisions right? Is she a good mother?

She does not see what I see.

People say the strength of a mother is like no other. They are right, of course. I see it in her.

By Dr Ernisa Marzuki