Final Days

At 96, Mom had so much to live for now… She was enjoying all the friends in the congregation, she loved telling others about Jehovah, and our relationship was never stronger… Sadly, time and age finally caught up with her. In October of 2024, Mom broke her hip. When they took a scan in the emergency room, cancer tumors were found all over her liver and bones…it was advanced stage 4 and incurable. Her doctor gave her 2 months to live. Mom couldn’t believe it…she was so active and all of a sudden she couldn’t walk. She went from using a cane, to walker, to wheelchair, and finally she became bedridden just in a few weeks.

Any cancer treatment would at best prolong her life for maybe a few weeks, but her quality of life would decline drastically. So Mom choose not to have any treatment. I brought her home to live her final days with me and because she required ‘critical care’, she had 6 caregivers 24/7. Mom lasted 3 months…and although she suffered so much, she was always positive and hopeful that she would be out preaching again.

Watching Mom suffer and get weaker every day was the most stressful experience for me…I felt so helpless. I was very thankful for the caregivers, who gave Mom the best possible care.  Mom really loved them and they all felt very close to her. On good days, Mom enjoyed the visits from the friends from the congregation as well as Linda, who visited quite often.  They would bring food…Mom’s favorite was chicken feet, oxtail soup, Melona bars, and Korean ramen. Mom passed away at 2:00 in the morning on Saturday, February 15th, 2025….96 years after she was born, and just a year after she was baptized…

I still miss her a lot, but there is great comfort in knowing that before Mom died, she knew she was very much loved… Most of all, Mom knew that Jehovah loved her, and by having Him as a friend, she would never be forgotten. She had faith that death would be temporary and as soon as Jehovah calls her she would wake up and be with her loved ones again.