As she was wheeled down the hallway for open-heart surgery that would ultimately save her life, Nicole Riel only had one piece of advice for the doctors who held her life in their hands.

“Will someone please take care of my mom and make sure she eats?” asked Riel, 22, on her way into the September 2007 surgery.

Nicole and her mother, Debra, who struggled with severe asthma and advanced breast cancer, had been forced to change roles.

In 2004, Debra was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy and chemotherapy on a regular basis. Her daughter took care of her daily, but around the time when Debra began to recover, Nicole began to feel weak with flu-like symptoms.

Nicole, who had been born with a small hole in her heart that wasn’t expected to affect her day-to-day life, was losing blood. Doctors weren’t sure from where until they discovered an infection that had attacked and deteriorated a valve on her heart, and it was unclear whether she would live.

“The doctors told me several times she was very sick and they weren’t sure what would happen,” her mother said. “They didn’t think she would make it. She had gone from being a caregiver to me to me being a caregiver for her.”

Surgeons replaced the valve with tissue, and she was put on a ventilator to help her breathe. Nicole’s kidneys were shutting down and she was losing fluids. Through difficult times, she was able to use lessons she learned from her mother, who herself had spent extended periods of time in hospital beds.

“She’s very strong. She told me she learned that from me because through all I had been through, I told her to stay strong and have faith that things will get better,” Debra said. Even before being diagnosed with breast cancer, Nicole learned to look after her mother, who was slowed by health issues.

“My mom was sick since I was born. She wasn’t able to do everything other mothers were able to do. I never knew anything different. When I got older, I understood,” said Nicole. “I’ve grown up a lot faster than a lot of my friends, and I’ve had responsibilities I’ve had to handle.”

Whether it meant being the “hang-out house” or being ready to come home at a moment’s notice, Nicole was always there for her mother. When her daughter laid in the hospital, Debra learned what her daughter had been through.

“I didn’t realize how hard it is on the other party. I knew what you had to deal with when you have breast cancer. But I didn’t realize how hard it is for the person sitting next to you caring for you,” Debra said. “When she went in the hospital it was so difficult for me to handle, to hold her hand and watch what she was going through.”

The experience has helped bring the pair closer than most mothers and daughters. “We have a particular bond because we’ve been through so much together that we’ve survived. A lot of parents and children have that friendship and love for one another, but it’s been a tough time for the two of us and we’ve found strength in one another,” Debra said.

The relationship was more than a family matter. “You could call us more best friends than mother and daughter. We still bicker, because we’re women. I don’t think anyone could have the unbreakable bond and we know what the other is going through every day,” said Nicole. “It’s nice to know you have someone there. I don’t always have to go out with friends, because I have her to hang out with. She keeps me in my limits and I keep her in her limits.”

Before her illness, Nicole was adamant about exercising and putting only healthy foods into her body, avoiding sugars, alcohol and tobacco. She has recovered enough that she is beginning to exercise at a low level.

Debra is still taking medication for both her breast cancer and lung troubles, and said she still has difficult days. Both of the Riels have specific needs for everyday life.

That’s where members of the Goffstown community have stepped in, volunteering to prepare the area of the current Riel home to install a new modular home, which has been donated. The family applied when “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” was looking for New Hampshire candidates, but were never contacted.

Through the efforts of a team that includes Bill Exner from St. Matthew’s Church, and residents Al Gamans, George Welch and others, the family will now have what they call the “Extremely Perfect Home Makeover.”

The modular home will fit the needs of Nicole and Debra Riel while they continue to try and heal.

“My mom came and told me, and it was pretty much a dream come true. We knew, unless we won the lottery, there was no way it would happen,” said Nicole. “Basically, someone sent us angels to do this and you can’t say it any other way than our prayers have been answered. We’ll be able to make a fresh start, and have something we can breathe in and walk around. I won’t have to worry as much.”

Debra said her new home will be a relief, and may also be able to spread the message of not taking life for granted. “Not having to worry any longer, it’ll be having a weight lifted off our shoulders. It’ll be a great day for the two of us, but we’re not the only two involved,” she said. “The builder has found so much happiness for each day of work on another part of the project. I hope that they, too, can spread the message to appreciate each day.”

In addition to the house being accessible, Debra hopes she will be able to arrange to have an air purification system installed in the house, which will help her live easier with her lung condition.

Although Debra relied heavily on the support of her daughter, she also said support from her friends and the Goffstown community helped her through her medical struggles.

Nicole has been able to take a positive out of her heart condition, as she has become outspoken for the American Heart Association.

After a year off, she hopes to return to NHTI in Concord in the fall, and after graduation wants to work as an event planner for the the Heart Association.

From taking care of her mother to laying in a hospital bed unsure if she herself would survive, Nicole Riel has learned a valuable lesson. “We’ve learned to look at the good side, even though it’s bad,” she said. “We’re both here, still walking, able to move.”