Nicole Marchand celebrated Valentine's day last Sunday with a dinner date with her beloved husband Derek.
The young Barrie woman, as always, was determined to make every moment count.
"She wanted to make memories," said Joyce Mayne of the Canadian Cancer Society and a close family friend. "She wanted everyone to know how special life was. She just wanted to live."
Two days later, Nicole's courageous fight for her life came to an end when she passed away surrounded by loved ones at the Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre.
Nicole was 30.
"We are broken hearted," her mother Lesley Ross Jannis wrote on Facebook. "She would be very proud of the fact that although she fought cancer for 2 years now that she didn't die of cancer. She passed away from pneumonia as a result of the giving it her all in her battle against cancer."
Nicole was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer at the age of 28.
She will be remembered for her charismatic smile and the light in her eyes as she bravely confronted the deadly disease with grace and tenacity.
Nicole went public with her journey and appeared at many events, including the Art@RVH unveiling last November, where she was honoured for inspiring Innisdale students to create their work.
Marchand attended the ceremony with Derek and beamed as she watched students do a music and dance performance.
She said she was honoured to be there.
"It's inspirational and healing and I love everything it stands for. There's always good days and bad and today is a good day mainly because I get to be a part of this."
Her mother says Nicole never liked the words "she lost her battle."
"She didn't lose her battle she took every challenge cancer gave her head on," Ross Jannis wrote.
Those who knew Nicole say she lived every day to the fullest, often wearing costumes to treatments and was rarely seen without makeup and her wigs, although at RVH she proudly showed off her bald head.
"She was a shining star. It's a very sad day. Lot of tears here," said Mayne from the Cancer Society's Barrie office. "It's a terrible loss. She was an inspiration, as her mom has been for years here."
Nicole's mother is a breast cancer survivor and a Cancer Society volunteer.
Ross Jannis accompanied the daughter she called her "best friend" every step of the way as Nicole navigated the physical challenges and devastating body blows of bad news.
Nicole shared her story on Facebook, in moving YouTube videos and a blog called Boobie and Beast.
She marvelled after she was profiled on People.com and Time.
The young woman wrote that she never expected to be in the spotlight, was grateful for the opportunity but only hoped the publicity would raise awareness and inspire others.
Those who knew her say she did.
And much more.
Friends vow to honour Nicole's memory by following her philosophy on life, summed up in a Facebook post from Nicole earlier this month.
"Cherish every moment and make it count," wrote Nicole Marchand.
