Everything is in its place in Lily Anderson’s bedroom. American Girl accessories and dolls line the bookshelves, stuffed animals are gathered on the bed as if they are about to watch a movie and Lily’s wig is on standby, at the corner of her dresser.

But wait, you think, why does a nine-year-old girl have a wig in her room? Lily’s mom, Jennifer will tell you that when Lily was diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma cancer in 2009, her greatest fear was not about having to choose a new hair style for her daughter to wear during chemotherapy. Her greatest fear was getting her little girl through this disease called cancer.

Jennifer, however, isn’t the type of mom to let her fears get stronger than her will. When she got the news of Lily’s diagnosis, she and her husband Joey united in the kind of strength that takes a marriage to a level many of us will never experience. Through a year of intensive treatments, invasive surgeries, and a stem cell transplant, Joey and Jennifer Anderson divided their time between St. Jude's Children’s Research Hospital, two careers, Lily’s little sister, and most of all Lily. It was an emotional roller-coaster ride with many bumps on the track. When Jennifer talks about 2009, she remembers the feeling of helplessness that overwhelmed her senses. “I slid down the wall crying when Lily was diagnosed,” she says.   

Jennifer spent most nights in the hospital with Lily while her husband worked building custom cabinets, managing bills and caring for their younger daughter. Jennifer recalls a moment that defined her outlook on the situation. She was walking down a quiet hospital hallway one surreal night, crying with an emptiness she still can’t describe. Seemingly out of nowhere, a woman appeared and looked intensely at Jennifer. The woman said, “You have to be strong, you can’t keep crying, there’s a mountain in your way, so take down that mountain!”

Jennifer never saw the woman again, but those words, along with a strong faith in God became her greatest power. “I just knew that if I was going to walk around depressed, my daughter would sense it,” says Anderson. “I decided to take down the mountain from that moment on.”

That was a year ago and the Anderson's have been moving mountains ever since. Through an outpouring of community support, two famed fundraisers known as Lily’s Run and a potent little weapon against cancer called “Anderson power,” the Anderson's have prevailed over what might have caused many families to crumble. Lily’s latest November screening showed a clean bill of health. Her “back-up hair,” sitting on the corner of her dresser is no longer a necessity, as her natural hair has grown back prettier than ever-and with more than just a hint of her mother’s vibrant curls.

It’s going to be a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year at the Anderson household and the biggest present under the tree doesn’t come in a box- it only comes with having enough faith to take down a mountain when it's standing in your way.