Meredith Berry

Sandra Vanlandingham, Rio Oso, wrote about her mother, Meredith Berry:

“The young mother of my childhood sang in the kitchen. Recited poetry. Named every wildflower. Rode horseback in the surf. At age 77, her own health fragile, she held my hand all night in a dimly lit hospital room. Mourned, with me, the loss of my breasts to cancer.”

Sandra Vanlandingham has fond memories of her mother and still remembers many of the poems and stories her mother read to her as a child.

“Growing up with my mom, she was always very involved on our lives and she was larger than life - she was magical,” she said. “She knew so many poems, stories and sang so many songs to us that my brother and I still remember many of the poems she recited.”

Berry and Vanlandingham are both breast cancer survivors and helped Sandra Vanlandingham, Rio Oso with her mother, Meredith Berry.

each other.

“She survived breast cancer and now she has Parkinson’s,” Vanlandingham said. “Even though she has Parkinson’s, she still would come and spend the night with me in the hospital.”

Vanlandingham grew up around horses and spent a lot of time with her

mother and even though life’s circumstances have changed, she’s still happy to spend time with her mother.

“She was the person who I bounced everything off of and now, I spend about one week a month with my mom,” she said. “I’m happy to be with her on mother’s Day.”