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Kindness Of Strangers: Mom Fighting Stage 4 Breast Cancer Surprised With 101 Red Balloons

1010 WINS -- A Minnesota woman was shocked when she arrived home from her chemo treatment to see 101 red balloons in her front yard.

Laura Stegenga, a 47-year-old mother of two, was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer in July.

Her mail carrier, Michele Slack, who is also a breast cancer survivor, organized the kind gesture after Stegenga told her that she was feeling hopeless.

More than 100 people who are mostly strangers to Laura made a donation of $10 to have a balloon fly in her yard.

101 red balloons in yard
Credit: Michelle Slack

Laura explained to ABC News what the surprise means to her

"I bawled. I just stood there and cried," Stegenga said of her reaction. "I feel so connected and so loved and so cared for. People really do care, they really do."

Laura was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer eight weeks after getting a mammogram and a clean bill of health from her doctors.

She says that she wants to make it her mission to inform women to know their medical rights.

"I have terminal cancer when I did everything I was told to," she told ABC News. "Women need to know what their rights are. It's not acceptable that we're not being told about and offered different options."

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