Three Winnipeg sisters are grieving the loss of their mother with the help of letters written before her death, with the intention of providing comfort after she was gone.

Terry Dokken died of ovarian cancer earlier this month, at the age of 57. She was first diagnosed in April 2012, and learned her illness was terminal two years ago.

Dokken decided to write each of her family members a letter with personal memories and messages to have as keepsakes after she died.

“We knew it was coming, but you’re never ready for your mother to pass away,” Dokken’s youngest daughter, Crystal Aime, told CTV Winnipeg.

The long, hand-written letters comfort Aime and her sisters. She has read her letter at least half a dozen times.

“When I’m really missing her I take the letter out and I read it,” she said.

Dokken’s middle daughter, Candice Carriere, said the letters are “probably the best thing my mom could have done for us.”

Dokken’s letters remind the sisters of how their mother was always there for them. But Dokken also wanted to convey another message, that women take control of their health.

“You have to be observant about your own body and talk to your doctor if there’s something that you have issues with,” said Dana Smith, Dokken’s eldest daughter. “Be persistent.”

Ovarian cancer can be treated if caught early. However, the disease can cause few symptoms in its early stages and women may not recognize the signs. Symptoms include bloating, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly, pain in the pelvis or abdomen, or frequent urination.

With a report from CTV Winnipeg’s Beth Macdonell