“I saw her die without fulfilling her dreams and I knew that my time was now or maybe never, - Liz Murray

I felt like I wasn’t going to make it,” she said. “When I thought about my life in front of me, how I’m going to rise up to anything … it was so overwhelming.”

I learned from that time period that, even though the past is always kind of right there, you can decide to start over with a loved one," Liz tells OWN. "I lost my mom, and we did not have enough connection at the time, and I was not going to let that happen again."

Eventually, as I was able to change my circumstances with that help, I went on to start a non-profit (and) began volunteering (so) that I could help (others),