It was a chance meeting between two teenage cancer patients that changed everything.
Cassie Nascimento was 16 when doctors told her she had a four per cent chance of surviving brain cancer.
For the next three years her mum Gloria attended every doctor's appointment with her, driving between Wollongong and Sydney and sleeping on the floor next to Cassie's hospital bed whenever she stayed overnight.
But instead of despairing over her daughter's terminal illness, Nascimento decided to make a difference by helping Jason Carrasco who Cassie befriended in hospital in 2012.
Children's charity Barnardos on Friday recognised the 49-year-old's selfless efforts by naming her mother of the year.
She was nominated by Carrasco, who was diagnosed with testicular cancer when he was 18.
Even though her family was going through hell, Nascimento tried to help Jason and his family as much as she could.
She said supporting Carrasco while her own daughter battled cancer had helped her stay positive.
"I love him like a son, he calls me his second mum," Nascimento said.
Carrasco survived cancer but Cassie died in November last year.
"She would be so proud of you right now," he told Gloria.
The teen said he's not sure what his family would have done if the 49-year-old hadn't come to their aid.
"We all need someone in times of adversity," he said.
"Gloria was by my side to give me a hug, to make me cupcakes. Thank you for everything."
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