|
A Mother Who Meets The End With Great Courage
Taipei, Taiwan, Anonymous, 76
Grief over the loss of husband affected health
It has been 4 years since Mother passed away. Now,
whenever I see old ladies with white hair, I recall my mother as if she
were still with me. It was in 1994 that Mother fell ill. At that time, I
was also hurt in an accident and Mother and my sister can to see me in San
Francisco where I lived. Mother grieved over the death of my father, which
seriously affected her health. From over 20 years of experience in
professional health care, I could immediately discern that something was
wrong with my mother.
Mother did not get any better even after a stretch of
time. My elder brother took her back to Taipei. At that time, she coughed
terribly, which could have been due to her heavy smoking. She could also
not sleep at night. Mother was eventually admitted into the hospital for
thorough examination. She could not go through all the examinations,
however, because of her diabetes and heart disease. The doctor informed us
that Mother most likely had lung cancer. Since she was over 70, the doctor
thought it wiser not to subject her to drastic treatments using western
medicine.
I flew in from San Francisco to Taipei as soon as I,
myself, got permission from my doctor to travel. I wanted to be with
Mother in her fight against cancer. I was the third of Mother’s children
and in childhood, I always felt that she never paid any serious attention
to me but instead took more care of my brothers and sisters. My last few
days with Mother, however, was an unforgettable memory deeply etched in my
mind. I felt complete love from Mother and was even envied by my siblings.
Enjoy a limited life to its full
Since the doctor had given up on Mother, my elder
brother believed that traditional Chinese medicine was our only recourse.
He found Tian Xian liquid and with its use, a miracle happened. Mother’s
will power coupled with Tian Xian liquid prolonged her life for another 17
months. In the end, she surpassed the doctor’s dire prediction of two
months.
During those 17 months, Mother and I were inseparable
planning where to go shopping and even flying off to Hong Kong just to
select a pearl necklace. Besides, I tried my best to arrange for different
people to accompany her play mahjong, which was her absolute favorite.
There was no sign of “seriously ill patient” in the family. The only
problem was that Mother could not sit on the chair for long. To remedy
this, Brother employed the services of a masseuse who regularly came to
the house to give Mother a massage. One time when Mother went to the
hospital for a physical examination, I also had a gynecological exam and a
tumor was found in my ovary. The doctor was not sure whether it was
malignant or benign so advised that it was safer to have it surgically
removed. Mother suggested, instead, that I should drink 6 bottles of Tian
Xian liquid just like her.
In another examination one and a half months later,
the doctor was surprised and informed that the tumor had disappeared so
that it was no longer necessary to have an operation. Mother and I,
therefore, trusted more our Tian Xian treatments and never stopped
drinking it afterwards. In another year, Mother was re-admitted to the
hospital for one reason or another; maybe for her old age or diabetes and
heart disease.
There seemed nothing else to be done except to take
good care of her. Mother never knew exactly what her disease was. Four or
five days before her death, she requested to have fried chicken and
scheduled to have spare ribs for the following day. It broke our hearts to
see her eat so heartily and happily because we could sense that we were
nearing the end.
Mother’s fingernails, which were always painted red,
were usually dry and thin. During her last days, however, they appeared to
be plum, tender and pretty. Doctors and relatives, who visited,
unanimously admired and complimented her on her beautiful finger and
toenails. Mother was quite happy and satisfied and smiled constantly
without knowing that her children were mourning.
I told my brothers and sister to be emotionally
prepared and not let Mother be bothered. We wanted to let her go through
her last moments calmly, peacefully and contentedly. We signed an
agreement with the hospital that we were waiving all emergency measure
when she had to go. I warned my siblings that such measures could be cruel
sometimes.
That night, when the electrocardiogram showed parallel
lines, Mother stopped breathing. I looked at Mother lying there so
serenely without tears in my eyes.
Thanks to Tian Xian liquid, Mother was able to prolong
her life peacefully. One couldn’t wish for a better quality of life! As
for myself, those last days with Mother will always be guarded closely in
my heart. Mother, calm and without pain, set out on another journey and we
let her go with peace in our hearts. |
