STERLING – It was cold, but sunny, as hundreds of all ages gathered at noon Sunday to show their support for 29-year-old Jessica Strader, who was losing her hard-fought battle with breast cancer.

They said a prayer for the young mother of two, and sang "Amazing Grace." Then they stepped into the field behind the Strader house to release the pink balloons most were holding. The Straders' 2-year-old daughter, Khloe, was the first to release hers. The crowd followed.

That was the moment, husband Jared Strader said, that Jess "took her last breath."