Weird, but I didn\u2019t think much of it at first. But then her calls got shorter, and she seemed distant, so I decided to check on her without w:ar:ning.\n

When I arrived, the house looked normal from the outside \u2014 except the garden was overgrown, which was odd for her. I walked inside, expecting a mess, but there was nothing. No renovations, no dust \u2014 just emptiness.\n

I rushed upstairs, my heart raced. I tried to steady my breathing as I walked down the hallway toward Mom\u2019s room.\n

\u201cMom?\u201d My voice came out as a whisper now. \u201cIt\u2019s me. It\u2019s Mia.\u201d\n

I pushed open her bedroom door, and she was there.\n

She was struggling to sit up in bed. But this couldn\u2019t be my mother. The woman before me was frail and gaunt, her skin sallow against the white sheets. And her hair\u2026 oh God, her beautiful hair was gone, replaced by a scarf wrapped around her head.\n

For illustrative purpose only\n
\u201cMia?\u201d, her voice was weak. \u201cYou aren\u2019t supposed to be here.\u201d\n
My mind refusing to process what I was seeing.\n
\n
\u201cMom? What\u2026 what happened to you?\u201d\n
\u201cOh, honey,\u201d she sighed. \u201cI didn\u2019t want you to find out like this.\u201d\n
I stumbled to her bedside before dropping to my knees. \u201cFind out what? Mom, please, tell me what\u2019s going on.\u201d\n
She reached out a thin hand. It felt so fragile, like a bird\u2019s bones. And I clasped it in both of mine\n
\u201cI have cancer, Mia,\u201d she said softly.\n
My world seemed to narrow down to how dry her lips looked as she spoke and the hollow feeling in my chest. I couldn\u2019t breathe.\n
\u201c\u2026 undergoing chemotherapy for the past few months,\u201d she finished.\n
\u201cCancer? But\u2026 but why didn\u2019t you tell me? Why did you keep this from me?\u201d\n
\n
\n
\n\n\n
Tears welled up in her eyes. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to burden you, sweetheart. You\u2019ve been working so hard for that promotion. I thought\u2026 I thought I could handle this on my own.\u201d\n
I became angry. \u201cHandle it on your own? Mom, I\u2019m your daughter! I should have been here! I should have known!\u201d\n
\u201cMia, please,\u201d she pleaded. \u201cI was trying to protect you. I didn\u2019t want you to see me like this, so weak and\u2026\u201d\n
\u201cProtect me?\u201d I cut her off, my voice rising as tears blurred my vision. \u201cBy lying to me? By keeping me away when you needed me most? How could you do that?\u201d\n
She started to cry. \u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d she sobbed. \u201cI\u2019m so sorry, Mia. I thought I was doing the right thing. I didn\u2019t want to be a burden.\u201d\n
I climbed onto the bed beside her, careful not to jostle her too much, and pulled her into my arms.\n
\u201cOh, Mom,\u201d I whispered. \u201cYou could never be a burden to me. Never.\u201d\n
We sat there for a long time, just holding each other and crying. All the fear and pain of the past few months came pouring out.\n
$\"\"$
For illustrative purpose only\n
We finally calmed down, and I helped Mom get more comfortable, propping her up with pillows. Then I went downstairs and made us both some tea, my mind reeling with everything I\u2019d learned.\n
\n
Back in her room, I perched on the edge of the bed, handing her a steaming mug. \u201cSo,\u201d I said, trying to keep my voice steady. \u201cTell me everything. From the beginning.\u201d\n
She told me about the diagnosis, the shock, and the fear. How she\u2019d started treatment right away, hoping to beat it before I even knew something was wrong.\n
\u201cBut it spread so fast,\u201d she said, her voice trembling. \u201cBy the time I realized how bad it was, I was already so sick.\u201d\n
\u201cMom, don\u2019t you get it? I love you. All of you. Even the sick parts, even the scared parts. Especially those parts. That\u2019s what family is for.\u201d\n
She looked at me, her eyes filled with a mixture of love and regret. \u201cI just\u2026 I\u2019ve always been the strong one, you know? Your rock. I didn\u2019t know how to be anything else.\u201d\n
I smiled through my tears. \u201cWell, now it\u2019s my turn to be the rock. I\u2019m not going anywhere, Mom. We\u2019re in this together, okay?\u201d\n
\u201cOkay.\u201d\n
That weekend, I moved back in with Mom. I also took time off work and called in every favor I could to get Mom the best care possible, even if all we could do was keep her as comfortable as possible.\n
\n
We spent her final days together, sharing stories and memories, laughing and crying together. And when the end came, I was right there beside her.\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Mia,\u201d she whispered. \u201cI wanted\u2026 I never took you to Disneyland\u2026 I promised to take you camping in the mountains\u2026 so many promises I\u2019ve broken\u2026\u201d\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not important.\u201d I moved closer to her on the bed. \u201cWhat matters is that you were always there for me when I needed you. You always knew how to make me smile when I was sad, or make everything better when I messed something up.\u201d I sniffed. \u201cI don\u2019t know what I\u2019m going to do without you, Mom.\u201d\n
My mom smiled faintly at me.\n
\u201cYou\u2019re going to be okay, Mia. You\u2019re so strong\u2026 my amazing daughter. I love you so much.\u201d\n
I put my arms around her as tightly as I dared. I\u2019m not sure exactly when she slipped away, but when I eventually pulled back, Mom was gone.\n
$\"\"$
For illustrative purpose only\n
I stayed there for a long time, and tried to hold onto the warmth of our last hug as sobs racked my body, replaying her last words in my mind. Trying to keep her with me, no matter how impossible that was.\n
Saying goodbye to Mom: Well, that was the hardest thing I\u2019ve ever done. But I wouldn\u2019t trade those moments I spent with her for anything in the world.\n
Because in the end, that\u2019s what love is. It\u2019s showing up, even when it\u2019s hard. It\u2019s being there, even in the darkest moments. It\u2019s holding on tight and never letting go.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Weird, but I didn\u2019t think much of it at first. But then her calls got shorter, and she seemed distant, so I decided to check on her without w:ar:ning. When I arrived, the house looked normal from the outside \u2014 except the garden was overgrown, which was odd for her. I walked inside, expecting a …\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":81302,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[642],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-81300","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-moral-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81300","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81300"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81300\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81303,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81300\/revisions\/81303"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/81302"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81300"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81300"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81300"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

For illustrative purpose only\n
\u201cMia?\u201d, her voice was weak. \u201cYou aren\u2019t supposed to be here.\u201d\n
My mind refusing to process what I was seeing.\n
\n
\u201cMom? What\u2026 what happened to you?\u201d\n
\u201cOh, honey,\u201d she sighed. \u201cI didn\u2019t want you to find out like this.\u201d\n
I stumbled to her bedside before dropping to my knees. \u201cFind out what? Mom, please, tell me what\u2019s going on.\u201d\n
She reached out a thin hand. It felt so fragile, like a bird\u2019s bones. And I clasped it in both of mine\n
\u201cI have cancer, Mia,\u201d she said softly.\n
My world seemed to narrow down to how dry her lips looked as she spoke and the hollow feeling in my chest. I couldn\u2019t breathe.\n
\u201c\u2026 undergoing chemotherapy for the past few months,\u201d she finished.\n
\u201cCancer? But\u2026 but why didn\u2019t you tell me? Why did you keep this from me?\u201d\n
\n
\n
\n\n\n
Tears welled up in her eyes. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to burden you, sweetheart. You\u2019ve been working so hard for that promotion. I thought\u2026 I thought I could handle this on my own.\u201d\n
I became angry. \u201cHandle it on your own? Mom, I\u2019m your daughter! I should have been here! I should have known!\u201d\n
\u201cMia, please,\u201d she pleaded. \u201cI was trying to protect you. I didn\u2019t want you to see me like this, so weak and\u2026\u201d\n
\u201cProtect me?\u201d I cut her off, my voice rising as tears blurred my vision. \u201cBy lying to me? By keeping me away when you needed me most? How could you do that?\u201d\n
She started to cry. \u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d she sobbed. \u201cI\u2019m so sorry, Mia. I thought I was doing the right thing. I didn\u2019t want to be a burden.\u201d\n
I climbed onto the bed beside her, careful not to jostle her too much, and pulled her into my arms.\n
\u201cOh, Mom,\u201d I whispered. \u201cYou could never be a burden to me. Never.\u201d\n
We sat there for a long time, just holding each other and crying. All the fear and pain of the past few months came pouring out.\n
$\"\"$
For illustrative purpose only\n
We finally calmed down, and I helped Mom get more comfortable, propping her up with pillows. Then I went downstairs and made us both some tea, my mind reeling with everything I\u2019d learned.\n
\n
Back in her room, I perched on the edge of the bed, handing her a steaming mug. \u201cSo,\u201d I said, trying to keep my voice steady. \u201cTell me everything. From the beginning.\u201d\n
She told me about the diagnosis, the shock, and the fear. How she\u2019d started treatment right away, hoping to beat it before I even knew something was wrong.\n
\u201cBut it spread so fast,\u201d she said, her voice trembling. \u201cBy the time I realized how bad it was, I was already so sick.\u201d\n
\u201cMom, don\u2019t you get it? I love you. All of you. Even the sick parts, even the scared parts. Especially those parts. That\u2019s what family is for.\u201d\n
She looked at me, her eyes filled with a mixture of love and regret. \u201cI just\u2026 I\u2019ve always been the strong one, you know? Your rock. I didn\u2019t know how to be anything else.\u201d\n
I smiled through my tears. \u201cWell, now it\u2019s my turn to be the rock. I\u2019m not going anywhere, Mom. We\u2019re in this together, okay?\u201d\n
\u201cOkay.\u201d\n
That weekend, I moved back in with Mom. I also took time off work and called in every favor I could to get Mom the best care possible, even if all we could do was keep her as comfortable as possible.\n
\n
We spent her final days together, sharing stories and memories, laughing and crying together. And when the end came, I was right there beside her.\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Mia,\u201d she whispered. \u201cI wanted\u2026 I never took you to Disneyland\u2026 I promised to take you camping in the mountains\u2026 so many promises I\u2019ve broken\u2026\u201d\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not important.\u201d I moved closer to her on the bed. \u201cWhat matters is that you were always there for me when I needed you. You always knew how to make me smile when I was sad, or make everything better when I messed something up.\u201d I sniffed. \u201cI don\u2019t know what I\u2019m going to do without you, Mom.\u201d\n
My mom smiled faintly at me.\n
\u201cYou\u2019re going to be okay, Mia. You\u2019re so strong\u2026 my amazing daughter. I love you so much.\u201d\n
I put my arms around her as tightly as I dared. I\u2019m not sure exactly when she slipped away, but when I eventually pulled back, Mom was gone.\n
$\"\"$
For illustrative purpose only\n
I stayed there for a long time, and tried to hold onto the warmth of our last hug as sobs racked my body, replaying her last words in my mind. Trying to keep her with me, no matter how impossible that was.\n
Saying goodbye to Mom: Well, that was the hardest thing I\u2019ve ever done. But I wouldn\u2019t trade those moments I spent with her for anything in the world.\n
Because in the end, that\u2019s what love is. It\u2019s showing up, even when it\u2019s hard. It\u2019s being there, even in the darkest moments. It\u2019s holding on tight and never letting go.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Weird, but I didn\u2019t think much of it at first. But then her calls got shorter, and she seemed distant, so I decided to check on her without w:ar:ning. When I arrived, the house looked normal from the outside \u2014 except the garden was overgrown, which was odd for her. I walked inside, expecting a …\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":81302,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[642],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-81300","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-moral-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81300","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81300"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81300\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81303,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81300\/revisions\/81303"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/81302"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81300"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81300"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81300"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}