Cory Brooks

This came at a very sad time for me. Literally the day before I left for MPI WEC in Toronto, where this picture was taken, I said goodbye to my close friend and mentor, Carol Norfleet, CMP, DMCP. Carol was a larger than life person in our industry and was even honored as a past global MPI Member of The Year. She gave a lot of herself to the industry and her friends. She was a single mom with her son in college when she suddenly learned she had stage 4 ovarian cancer. She, in true Carol fashion, gathered her close friends and I was one of them. She called us "Her Warriors" and we lived out her last year, actually only 10 months, supporting her and fighting for her. She was well known in the industry and everyone knew her at WEC. But few, only five of us, walked with her as she faced her greatest challenge. The whole conference was painful and also helpful as so many people loved her, shocked at the news, and loved on me as we tried to work through the loss. She was truly a mentor to me and I will always remember the things she taught me and how she pushed me to stretch even more in the industry. She taught CMP classes and I earned my CMP from her classes and years later, when she got sick, I taught her classes for her. I now teach a CMP class for our Tennessee chapter and always make sure to tell people about her legacy and great insights. I own my own business and I utilize Carol's teachings and inspiration every day. I will always strive to make her proud and share the love for our industry that she had with those I come in contact with. This picture is very raw for me, hard to look at. But I cherish my memories of our friendship and hope I only half as much impact others the way she did! She will be missed but not forgotten. MPI has even created a scholarship in her name which is very fitting! I can recall the hard and fun times together and feel truly blessed to be called one of Carol's Warriors...