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Cyndie French tearfully rocks her dying son Derek, 11, as the song 'Because We Believe' plays. Cyndie sings along with Andrea Bocelli in a whispery voice. 'Once in every life/There comes a time/We walk out all alone/And into the light...' From left,…

Surrounded by friends and relatives, Cyndie kisses Derek's head as she rocks him in a rocking chair after hospice nurse Sue Kirkpatrick, left, administered a sedative May 10, 2006. Cyndie sings, 'You are my sunshine my only sunshine.'

Cyndie French fights her emotions May 10, 2006, as she prepares to flush out Derek's catheter with saline solution before hospice nurse Sue Kirkpatrick, left, administers a sedative that will give the 11-year-old a peaceful death. 'I know in my heart…

Cyndie and Derek sprawl on the grass outside the mall on May 10, 2006, on his last trip outdoors. 'Just like a newborn, he needs to get out and get some air,' she says. She packed his medicine in an ice chest for the trip outside.

In an effort to get Derek outside, Cyndie wheels him through the front door passing by artwork and cards given to her son by classmates at Bridgeway Island Elementary School. It was his last trip outside.

Cyndie French holds her son Derek Madsen, 11, on May 8, 2006. He is on medication that hinders his speech and keeps him awake all night. Cyndie spends nearly 24 hours a day at his side, except for a few minutes while hospice nurses are with him. 'I…

Derek kisses his mom Cyndie after the Relay for Life benefit, as his 6-year-old sister, Brieanna, stands by.

At the start of the West Sacramento's Relay for Life benefit on May 6, Derek is given a survivor sash. “When they put the sash on him, I was so proud of him, because I knew he had beat the odds,” she says. Cyndie recruited volunteers for the…

Cyndie French gives her son Derek Madsen, 11, medicine May 2, 2006, while he takes a bath, one of the things he still enjoys since tumors have enlarged his stomach. 'We have had many long chats while he is in the tub,' says Cyndie, who sometimes…

On May 1, 2006, after days of almost no sleep while caring for Derek, Cyndie confronts 'grandpa' Patrick Degnan, a longtime family friend, about whether he'll be able to help with rent and funeral expenses as Derek is caught in the middle. Cyndie…