According to a report from the Leicester Mercury, 12-year-old Athena Orchard, who died at home last week following a multi-month battle with cancer, left a secret message for her family on the back of her mirror.

Several days after his daughter’s death, Dean Orchard was sorting through Athena’s possessions when he discovered the note.

“It was a stand-up mirror in her room, and it was always lent up against the wall so we never saw behind it,” Dean told the Leicester Mercury. “She never mentioned it, but it’s the kind of thing she’d do.”

The Daily Mail reports that the 12-year-old girl was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer, in December. Following an emergency surgery to remove a tumor on her spine, Athena dealt with months of chemotherapy to treat the cancer in her spine, shoulder and head.

According to People, Athena’s secret message was 3,000 words long.

Here are some excerpts from the note:

“Happiness depends upon ourselves. Maybe it’s not about the happy ending, maybe it’s about the story.

The purpose of life is a life of purpose. The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.

“Happiness is a direction not a destination. Thank you for existing. Be happy, be free, believe, forever young. You know my name, not my story.”