Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/542735
Health and Wellness Magazine • 55 this time with a vengeance. One doctor told Aigner Clark there were too many tumors in her liver and lymph nodes for hope of recovery, and she was sent home with a Stage-4 diagnosis and advice to get her things in order. "How do you say that to somebody?" Aigner Clark says, her perky attitude giving way to sobriety with the subject change. "And guess what? They are all gone," she says defiantly of the tumors, her voice cracking with emotion. Aigner Clark painted on a positive face for her girls, and Sierra says she never doubted that her strong-willed mom would survive. Both girls recall their mom's bravery throughout chemotherapy, although she struggled when she lost her hair. "I'd already lost my breasts and ovaries (removed to reduce estrogen in her body). I didn't want to lose my hair, too," Aigner Clark says of her long, blond locks. "Breast cancer steals so much from you as a woman." The girls learned about strength, love and support from their mom's battle. Sierra recalls when her mom came home after having her head shaved. "You cried, and I sat and rubbed your head for an hour." Aigner Clark, who fought the cancer with acupuncture, supplements, yoga and clinical trials, wrote a book for children with mothers with breast cancer called, "You Are the Best Medicine," with proceeds going to cancer research. She says she's here today because of a miracle and her girls. Other than preventing the cancer from invading "my wonderfully healthy body" in the first place, Aigner Clark says she wouldn't change a thing about her life, especially her girls. "I just look at these guys, and they are so much smarter than I am, and they are worldly in a way that I always hoped they would be. I think they are really accepting of other people and other cultures. They've both done a lot of volunteer work and understand the need to work and handle responsibilities. I am really proud of them." On her website, she calls herself a two-time cancer "assassin" because, she says, "survivor sounds like you're barely treading water. I beat it, and I want to put that out there. I have two girls, and I want to be here for them," she says. "And I want to be a grandma," she adds with a grin. "I just look at these guys, and they are so much smarter than I am, and they are worldly in a way that I always hoped they would be ... I am really proud of them."