It is two years since Wagga mum Jodie Wilesmith said goodbye to her daughter for the last time.
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But despite the reality of living in a world without 19-year-old Shannon McKnight, her legacy lives on.
Shannon was a regular teenager with a recurring kidney infection, but on April 9, 2014 she was in so much pain she was rushed to hospital.
Within a matter of hours, the 17-year-old Wagga High School student was thrust into a battle with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
Ms Wilesmith has become a beacon of hope to other parents, who may not be able to comprehend life without their child.
“You never get over it,” Ms Wilesmith said. “But you have to keep going forward ... I know I have to do the best I can for myself and my son, Brandon.”
The family spent Saturday – the anniversary of Shannon’s death – at her graveside, sharing bacon and egg rolls and reminiscing about the girl who was wise beyond her years, compassionate, giving and taken too soon.
“She was just an amazing girl,” Ms Wilesmith said. “She really was.”
A grade-a student and a singer, Shannon had plans to study at university, work with children and travel the world, but in a matter of hours those dreams were stolen.
Shannon took her final breath on March 3, 2016 after a courageous two-year fight.
Despite pain and exhaustion, the 19-year-old, who had become blind, still found strength in her final days to look her brother in the eye and say, “I’m okay”.
“For her to do that shows just how selfless she was,” Ms Wilesmith said. “I don’t think I could have done what she did.”
Living every parent’s worst nightmare, she said some days were harder than others. But Shannon had wanted them to keep moving forward and that is what Ms Wilesmith said she intended to do.
The mother-of-two said she was determined to return the kindness of the charities that supported them across the 18-months of treatment in Sydney and six months in Melbourne.
“I’ll do anything I can to help now,” she said. “Charities always need help so they can support people like us and one day find a cure.”
She said her daughter’s legacy lived on through a memorial tree and plaque at Wagga High School, and a major award presented each year to a peer-nominated student who showed “kindness, compassion and courage”.
“To me, she’s always around,” Ms Wilesmith said. “She always will be.”