Trisan Vernon cannot imagine walking down the aisle without her mother, nor can she imagine becoming a mother herself without the woman she says taught her about strength, faith and unconditional love.

"I can't get married without my mom. I don't know how to be a mom without my mom," she told THE WEEKEND STAR. Those fears have become painfully real since her mother, 45-year-old Allia Vernon, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma last October. It is an aggressive blood cancer associated with the human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1).

Too weak to speak for herself, Vernon left her eldest daughter to recount the devastating months that have transformed the family's life. Though the family now lives in Canada, their roots remain firmly planted in Jamaica. Vernon was born and raised in Kingston, while her daughters spent part of their childhood on the island before emigrating.