This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

STOKES COUNTY, N.C. — When tragedies hit, sometimes it’s hard not to wonder why some of the worst things seem to happen to the best people.

It was probably a thought many of Emily Snow’s family and friends had at one point.

She and her family have experienced their share of setbacks, but through it all, she has decided to choose joy.

She had her first mammogram at 40 years old.

That mammogram would go on to find that she had breast cancer.

Snow and her husband Cory were ready to fight — with a positive attitude.

A few days before Snow’s first chemo treatment, her husband found a pastor’s sermon.

“It was about putting your feet up and letting God take over. It was like, that’s it. That is going to be my theme, my motto. We’re going to use this and we’re going to get through all of it,” Snow said.

Through each treatment, she would post a picture of her feet and a few words reminding people to choose joy.

Cancer wasn’t Snow’s first life-changing event.

In 2013, her family’s home was destroyed in a fire.

Prior to that in 2005, she and her husband lost twin girls Karley Ann and Emma Claire at around 30 weeks during the pregnancy.

“Finding joy after that was probably the hardest,” she said.

The loss of two children, a house fire and now cancer — it would have been easy to be angry, but Snow chose to be an example.

She wants to use her journey to show others how to overcome tragedies.

“When you have to choose that joy every day when you wake up, that’s what won the battle,” she said.

Snow is cancer free.

She had her last radiation treatment in July 2018 and her last surgery several weeks ago.

36.42444 -80.232131