NATCHITOCHES – Having the right perspective on something can change the way you feel and how you approach that situation.
 
As Northwestern State begins its annual "Fork Cancer" weekend by hosting Texas A&M-Commerce in a pivotal three-game series, Taylor Williams has been reminded of how important it is having the right perspective.
 
The 23-year-old senior from Tom Bean, Texas, is the exact same age as her mom, Kristell, was when she went through one of the darkest times in her life. 
 
"If it was me I don't know how I would have responded or gotten through something like that," Taylor said. "I can't imagine having to go through something so big at this age."
 
With the toddling Taylor at the house and seven months pregnant with her second child, Kristell was diagnosed with both cervical and uterine cancer.
 
"It's hard to put into words the emotions of all that," Kristell said. "They were just so high. The doctors wanted me to terminate the pregnancy because they wanted to treat right away. I think that might have been the scariest time in my life."
 
With the full support of her husband of now more than 20 years, Shannon, along with a score of other friends and family, the right outlook, and some faith, Kristell gave birth to her son at full term. In the month following his birth, Kristell would have a full hysterectomy to remove the cancerous tissue and go through her first round of chemotherapy. 
 
"There was always something in me that I knew it was going to be okay," Kristell said. "I knew God was with me and the choice I made that the outcome was going to be a good one. I didn't know anything other than just pray. I don't have a lot of other ways to explain what I went through. I just knew it was going to be okay."
 
Her experience at such a young age helped even further shape the way she approached life and the way she raised her family. Her two children serving as tangible reminders of the preciousness of life on a daily basis.
 
"She a big vitamin girl," Taylor said laughing. "Growing up she was always on us about taking our vitamins and doing what we needed to do to stay healthy. When I was older, she made sure we went to the doctor to check for any signs with me and just make sure we caught anything super early if it was there. And just to do anything to help prevent it."
 
In addition to the emphasis on the physical it has been the resolve and persistence on the mental side that has been the biggest benefit for Taylor throughout her career, especially during her senior season.
 
"We don't quit, we fight for everything," Kristell said. "You fail, you get up. Taylor is like me in that we'll run through a brick wall. Even when I was sick I kept my daily activities normal, went to work everyday and was at work up until two days before I gave birth. I went to work the same days that I went to treatment even though I was tired and throwing up in a trash can. We continue. We're competitors."
 
A month into the season, Taylor was nearly sidelined after she was hit on the wrist by a pitch in the first home game of her senior year. While it was a weighty blow to her throwing hand, it was not significant enough for her to miss more than one game. 
 
Even through the pain she felt in the arm the days and weeks later, and the roller coaster of emotion in the days immediately following the injury, she was continually reminded of things bigger than softball.
 
"I thought my world ended when I hurt my arm this year," Taylor joked. "But thinking about what my mom went through and just how her life completely changed with the cancer and everything she had to do after, it gives you a lot of perspective. If she makes me mad or something else doesn't go the way I think it should I'll think about what she's been through and have a quick reality check."
 
In a game where failure happens more than 70 percent of the time for even the best players, the toughness and perspective from her mother, have provided Williams the path to a career season with new best totals in nearly every single offensive category. 
 
"My mom is literally the strongest person I know," Taylor said. "She's a fighter. She's tough. My mom is just so powerful. She walks into the room and her presence is known. The things that she's been through at such a young age and what she gave to our family. I admire her so much. She set the best example of what a strong woman looks like for me and my sisters."