Used book – *Le courage d'une mère* (A Mother's Courage), Marie-Laure Picat, Anne Berthod

How do you live out the end of your life when you're not yet forty and a mother? Last autumn, Marie-Laure Picat learned she had a fatal, short-term cancer. Her first thought was for her children: what would become of them after her death? Determined to fulfill her role as a mother to the very end, she herself chose a foster family. Immediately, she was met with a flat refusal: no, it wasn't up to her to decide her children's future, but to the judge, after her death. No, there was no guarantee that Julie, Thibault, Matthieu, and Margot would be raised together. No, they wouldn't live where they grew up. Revolted by the absurdity of the situation, Marie-Laure alerted the media. Then, an extraordinary movement of solidarity began, and the press relayed her message: the courage of this young mother moved the country, and she received unexpected support.