Long curly tresses hit the bathroom floor in bundles as the brush bristles scraped her scalp. Kneeling down to the floor in disbelief, tears swept her cheeks.

Marleen Marquez, a Whittier resident, never imagined the day she would be scooping her hair up from the ground to discard it.

"Being a young female and losing my hair really affected me," said Marquez. "My physical appearance changed and that was hard for me."

Marquez was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2005 and has been undergoing chemotherapy to treat it. Her strong belief in her Christian faith, gave her tremendous strength to endure this unsuspecting cancer. Marquez battled with the ups and downs of fighting cancer, and through it all, managed to stay positive, and pursue her dream as a Sheriff for the Los Angeles County.

In January of 2005, Marquez started experiencing severe headaches and began to lose her vision. The headaches began to worsen, so she sought the advice of doctors. The doctors first attributed her headaches to stress.

In March of 2005, the headaches became even more severe, so Marquez went to the emergency room at Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital in Whittier. This time doctors took a scan of her head, and saw a tumor growing in her sinus cavity. She then had surgery in April to remove the tumor.

"I was a young 23-year-old athletic girl that never had any medical problems, I didn't think the tumor was a big deal."

After her surgery, a month later she began to experience pain in her back and stomach. She had more tests done, which revealed that she had tumors all over her spine and ribs.

The doctors tested the Cerebral Spinal Fluid by syringe in her back, and found cancer cells in the fluid, so in June of 2005 they gave her a six month Chemotherapy treatment.

Getting on Chemo and experiencing hair loss was overwhelming and she became depressed.

"It was so hard for me to accept my cancer."

Marquez was in remission for two months before her relapse in March 2006. She began to experience the same symptoms in the other eye.

The relapse was a very difficult time for Marquez, but the love of her family got her through it, especially from her sister Tangi Hollis.

"To see my sister go from being extremely healthy, to extremely sick, was very difficult for me," said Hollis, 23.

Marquez was then transferred to USC Kenneth Norris Cancer Center and was in and out of the hospital from March to June 2006. She then had another surgery to put a catheter in her chest, to give her blood, medication, and to prepare her for her stem cell transplant.

The stem cell transplant was successful at saving her life and building up her strength.

Marquez was released on July 4, 2006. That was the day she began thinking more positively about life, and focused on getting her life back in order.

In March of 2007, after reflecting about everything, Marquez was inspired to make a difference in other people's lives, and applied to The Los Angeles County Sheriff Department. Her father is a Correctional Officer, and her uncles work for Inglewood and Los Angeles Police Department.

"I come from a long line of law enforcement officers, so it was only right that I pursued this field," said Marquez.

Marquez always knew from seeing her father help others, that a career in law enforcement was a field she wanted to pursue. She knew that the road ahead would be challenging physically, but mentally, she was ready and willing to help others, like others helped her.

After many background checks, written, and oral exams, she was accepted to the November 2007 Academy class.

During the 18-week-program, Marquez befriended a classmate, Ciara Martinez. According to Martinez, the work load and physical strain was intense.

"She struggled with running, but she never gave up," said Martinez. "She wasn't the best runner though."

Marquez, now 26, graduated March 13, and is now working at Century Regional Detention Facility in the city of Lynwood. She later hopes to become a paramedic for the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department.

Marquez is grateful that not only did she beat cancer, but she is now in a career that she loves, and is getting stronger physically, mentally, and spiritually each day.

"The Lord put me in this position for a reason," said Marquez. "I am a living testimony."