Tiea Mead spent the last fifteen years battling serious health issues. After a diagnosis of stage four large cell B lymphoma, she and her family had to make hard choices. When they decided not to battle the cancer, Tiea was relieved that she could focus her fight on celebrating time together and leaving beautiful memories for her family. Part of the memory-making included giving each of her children a Wind River chime engraved with the words “Mama says BBB.”

“BBB” has been a part of Tiea's family vocabulary for years. It began when she saw her husband off for back-to-back stints of shore duty in the Navy: sitting in the car before he left, they'd tell each other “Be back, baby.” As their family expanded and their kids grew up, “BBB” took on new meaning. Instead of “be back, baby,” BBB came to stand for a full dose of a mama's loving guidance: “Be kind. Be brave. Be yourself.” BBB covered it all. And these days, “BBB” is how Tiea ends every conversation, how she says every goodbye.

When we asked Tiea how we can support loved ones with cancer, she told us that the best thing to do is to get them talking, reminiscing, and telling stories. We’re honored to have Tiea tell us this story of inspiring harmony by leaving beautiful memories for her family.