Welcome to Darren Daly on demand, your most trusted resource to help you become better every day.

Here's your success mentor, Darren Hardy.

In our continuing and never-ending pursuit to grow better every day, we often encounter stories that transcend the usual narrative of achievement and perseverance.

The story of Katie Orkman is one such extraordinary tale, embodying a profound lesson for all of us

here this morning. Katie's life was turned upside down in 2014 when she was diagnosed with a rare

form of cancer, ocular melanoma. The doctors gave her 16 months to live. Her father,

who was a physician himself, scoured the medical world for a lifeline. He found a clinical trial

in New York that had a slim chance of possibly saving her life. Katie flew to New York a few days

after Christmas to see if she would qualify for the trial. As she endured a series of different

tests, she found herself missing her mom, who passed away from pancreatic cancer herself

when Katie was just a teenager. Katie said, my mom was my biggest fan. She could take one look

at me and she could tell what kind of mood I was in or what was wrong. I both loved her and hated

that about her. If she could see something was wrong or I was having a bad day, she would say,

I think you need an energy hug. And her mom would squeeze her extra tight and hold on extra long.

Fast forward back to 2014. Katie has been sent all over Midtown Manhattan getting eye

exams, blood work, scans, EKGs, and echocardiograms, now waiting for her meeting with the doctor

to find out if she was eligible for this potentially life-saving treatment. Katie, now 32 years old,

frightened and sitting alone in the waiting room of that cold hospital was desperate

for one of the energy hugs from her mom. Katie looked across the waiting room and sees a girl

about her age. She has her head lying in the lap of her mom. The mom is stroking her hair

and pushing it behind her ears. This simple, tender moment was a stark reminder

of what Katie missed the most, her mom's comforting presence. She was missing her own mom

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