Courageous Novlene Williams-Mills

Jamaica's Novlene Williams-Mills (left) outlasts the United States' Francena McCorory competes to win the women's 400 metres during the IAAF Diamond League DN Galan meeting at the Olympic Stadium, Stockholm, Sweden, yesterday. - AP - from Jamaica Gleaner -  http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20140822/sports/sports1.html

by Jean Lowrie-Chin | excerpt from Jamaica Observer column | 25 August 2014

Congratulations to Novlene Williams-Mills on her fantastic run last Thursday in the women’s 400 metres at the Stockholm Diamond League.  The Jamaica Observer reported that she triumphed ‘on a wet track in 50.09 seconds, ahead of Sanya Richards Ross and Francena McCorory.’ Her strong outings are all the more impressive after her battle with an aggressive form of breast cancer that resulted in her having a double-mastectomy in 2012. 

Last year she spoke of the loving support of her husband Jameel: “I hoped my husband still loved me the same. We met when I wasn’t like this and now he’s seeing a whole different person. But I didn’t have to worry about him. He was my nurse, my rock.”

During the recent Commonwealth Games, Williams-Mills told Observer reporter Sean Willams, "When you have family and friends like mine, don't matter what, you have got to keep going... A friend once told me that God always gives His toughest soldiers the toughest battles to fight, and I think he gave me that battle, and you know what, I am still fighting."

Thank you for the inspiration, Novlene!