The Gabriel family, left to right, Laura, Logan and Scot. Laura Gabriel died on Saturday of cancer.

ANDOVER, Mass. — After enduring six bouts of cancer and braving a war-torn region to bring her adopted son home to the United States, Laura Gabriel often shocked people with her inner strength and tenacity.

“She was the toughest, classiest woman I ever met…she would often take people by surprise because she was so demure and cute,” her husband of 13 years, Scot Gabriel, recalled Tuesday.

A staunch advocate for children, the most prominent being her own son, Logan, Gabriel died Saturday after her multiple cancer battles. The Methuen, Massachusetts, resident — a petite blonde often dressed in pink Lilly Pulitzer dresses and her trademark pearls — faced the first diagnosis at 18 months old and a final diagnosis of gastric cancer that appeared just a year ago.

Often diagnosed at an advanced stage without any early signs or symptoms, gastric cancer affects the lining of the stomach and is relatively rare, according to the National Cancer Institute. Of the health organization’s list of common cancer types, stomach cancer ranks 15^th with only 10,730 estimated associated deaths in 2016.

A decade ago, Gabriel, 41, put herself in the middle of a war zone when she and Scot adopted Logan from Lebanon.

In the spring and summer of 2006, when Logan was an infant, Gabriel endured gunfire and bombing and found herself stuck in Beirut.

Family and friends implored her to leave the country. But Logan didn’t have a passport and Laura vowed “she wasn’t going anywhere without him,” Scot said.

The mother and child’s plight to get home captured international attention.

“Everybody said: ‘You need to leave and come back for him.’ But she felt like she’d never see him again. She said, ‘Every day a child is without their parent is a detriment to a child,'” Scot said.

Laura and Logan spent nearly four months in Beirut and took cover in bomb shelters when needed. There was no crib in their hotel room, and Laura used an open suitcase for Logan to sleep in during their first months together.

“I just tried to get through whatever came next. And that just made everything less overwhelming,” Laura said, in an interview with The North Andover, Massachusetts Eagle-Tribune after Logan was eventually granted humanitarian parole and was allowed to come to the United States on July 25, 2006.

With a throng of reporters and cameras waiting, mother and son flew into Logan International in Boston, the airport the little boy was named after.

Logan will be 11 in November.

“Logan was her life,” Scot said. “She would not let anybody come between them.”

Scot said his wife worked tirelessly to expose Logan to a variety of activities, sports, hobbies and travel. She loved the city of Boston and often took him there for spontaneous visits.

For her 40th birthday, the entire family took a 10-day trip to Paris.

“We had a ball…Laura said, ‘I’m 40 years old and I am celebrating,'” Scot said, noting just three months later, Laura was diagnosed with gastric cancer.

Despite sickness and treatments, “Laura never let cancer get her down.” Scot said they would leave appointments at Massachusetts General Hospital and head to the Four Seasons restaurant for dinner.

“Life is too short to sit around,” Scot said, recalling his wife’s mantra.

While a devoted mother, Laura also worked professionally in special needs education and was employed by two area school districts over the years. She was most recently an Educational Team Leader at a school in Revere, Massachusetts.

“She was the strongest advocate for children — especially children who are the underdogs. That was her whole career. She loved working with children from the inner city who needed an advocate,” her husband explained.

He said Laura felt education for children was a key to success — but they all needed love and respect to thrive, Scot added.

Gabriel’s funeral is Friday at 11 a.m. at St. Anthony Maronite Church in Lawerence, Massachusetts. In honor of Laura, the family invites those who attend “to wear pearls.”

Harmacinski writes for the North Andover, Massachusetts Eagle Tribune.