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GRIEF IS THE PRICE WE PAY FOR LOVING
It Was My Mom’s Last Night, She Gave It All
It has been three years.
February, a month once filled with celebration for our family, now brings back memories of profound loss. It used to be a month of endless birthday gatherings, especially on my Mom’s birthday.
It has been three years since I lost my Mom. Her photo, one of the last taken on her 81st birthday in 2020, a few days shy away from what was to come before us — the pandemic.
She passed in 2021 on February 2, just a few days before her 82nd birthday, which falls on the 17th.
She lived for a few months into the pandemic and saw what it was like for the world to come to a halt.
Being a dialysis patient, she was at risk, as were we all. The pandemic made everything more difficult; the rules had changed in the hospital where we took her for dialysis three times a week, and only patients were allowed inside.
Out of compassion, the staff allowed me to stay with her. By that time, Mom could no longer be without a companion during the four hours of dialysis, and she could no longer call on the nurses if she needed help.
On a few occasions, her blood pressure dropped, and she became unconscious, leading to…