Images From My Mama's Last Two Days...

My Mama went to Heaven on October 30th. My Papa, sister Aline, brother Albert, nephew Andrew and I were there as she drew her last breath at exactly 12:25 p.m., marking the end of a brief but painful struggle with cancer.

She was diagnosed with a very aggressive type of colon cancer which had already metastasized to the liver (90% of which was affected). We were told that based on findings, she might have been carrying the disease for about two years now although it didn't manifest until a couple of months prior to her passing. She and my dad even visited me in Spain over the summer and aside from the aches and pains and other things that one would associate with aging, there was no clear indication that she was sick. We had a great time together. Little did we know that there was this dark cloud looming over us.

She had surgery on October 14th but the surgeon (who happened to be my uncle - my mom's cousin) found that it was already inoperable. The tumor in the colon was already attached to the pelvic floor and that the liver was already riddled with lesions. She was administered her first and only round of immunotherapy (a type of chemo) on October 19th. Unfortunately, her body didn't respond to the treatment. By October 24th, we were told that we were looking at one to two weeks and to prepare ourselves with what was to come. To know that a loved one is terminally ill is already heartbreaking. To be told that you have such little time with them is indescribable. To have to choose her casket even before she died was something that I never imagined doing, I wanted to run out of the funeral home when we got there. The day before her she passed, we started saying our goodbyes.

Even in pain, she was still a "mama"... She would ask us if we had already eaten or would tell us to get some food when she knew that we still hadn't. She would share her popsicles and ice creams with us. She would tell us to get some sleep. She would ask "pagod ka na?"/"are you tired?", worrying about my comfort, as she leaned against me during those times when she wanted to sit by the side of the bed after lying on her back for a long time. She said she'd cook my favorite food and some molo soup when she got better. She would notice the tiny stains on Papa's shirt (that he got from cooking meals). She even worried about the expenses at the hospital. A "mama" 'til the very end...

The following photos were taken during the last two days of my dear Mama's life.

October 28th: We set up the computer so she could Skype with family in the Philippines...

Her sister Carrie and niece Kitkat on Skype...

The tag that the nurses scanned whenever they had to take her vital signs, get her blood sugar reading, administer pain medication, etc.

October 29th: Asleep... She started sleeping a lot as her state declined...

with my Papa...

Me holding her hand...

Mama and Aline...

with her youngest, Albert...

one and only grandson, Andrew, kissing Mama...

with her younger brother, Tito Butch...

Tito Butch and sister-in-law Tita Minda saying a prayer...

I miss you already... But I know that from your special place in God's house right now, you know that you were, and will forever be, loved.

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On behalf of my family, I would like to thank our friends and relatives for the prayers and show of support, love and concern. Many thanks to Tito Butch, Tita Minda and the rest of their family for taking care of us while we were in Virginia; to Fr. Gaudi for the spiritual guidance and the help with coordinating with the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C.; to the Singleton Funeral Home for their services and for making the arrangements for her transport back to the Philippines; to the Filipinos in Virginia who came to the small viewing we had and to Tita Daisy and Tita Marissa for the food they prepared for our small gathering after the viewing. To all the doctors (Dr. Mario Stefanini, Drs. Joseph and Daisy Claustro, Dr. William Hunter and the rest), nurses, nurse aides, respiratory technicians and other medical staff assigned to my Mama at Clinch Valley Medical Center, our heartfelt gratitude for the care you gave her (and us) during her stay at the hospital.