Even her doctor cried when she gave Mom the news. The scan showed a growth (4.6 cm by 4.9 cm) in Mom’s left lung that was not visible a few months earlier. That’s the reason Mom had pain in her side when she walked faster than 2.5 km on the treadmill and why she had occasional trouble breathing. Lung cancer. This gentle loving woman with a kind word for everyone, was nearing the end of her days.

Three and a half weeks later on November 15, 2010 Mom died peacefully in her sleep. She was 84 years old.

Mom at 22

My mother was my hero and I wrote about her a few times in this blog:

My Mom, My Coach,
When Words Fail, Follow Your Heart, and
How I Lost My Worry When My Mom Got Sick.

Mom was not afraid of death. She said she didn’t know what came before she was born and she didn’t know what would come after she died, but she felt peaceful about it. I know that she wanted to stay healthy until the end. We called it “happy, healthy, happy, healthy, happy, healthy, dead” – a phrase I’d heard used by Esther Hicks. And so it was.

Mom at 80

Mom exercised in a gym five days a week, ate a mostly vegan diet and had a positive outlook on life.  As her body became weaker in the last few days, she used her mind to bolster her body. When my father gently put his arms around her to lift her from the bed, he would remind her “strong legs Margaret” and he could feel her legs steady and strengthen.

In her final days with her beloved husband, children and grandchildren all around, she kept telling us how much she loved and appreciated us. “I don’t want any of you to think that you didn’t do enough,” she warned us. “I had a good life and I loved my family.”

Here is the movie tribute I made to my Mom. It includes a brief farewell greeting in Dutch which was recorded just 4 days before she died. Mom stayed positive in her outlook until the end and said that she had no pain. Now she lives on in my heart.

What Mom Said in Dutch in the Video:

Good morning everyone. I find it nice that you are all interested in me. I have something to tell you. I feel very good but actually I’m not very well. It’s perhaps that way in my mind as well. (she laughs)..It is November 11, 2010 also Remembrance Day – in memory of people who fought and died in the war… I feel good. We are continuing to enjoy life. I have my children with me. I love my children. I have wonderful children who are looking after me and travel many kilometers to see me. And Daddy… Dad is missing me already. He is having a very hard time with this. I don’t know what else to say. (she laughs)

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Similar Posts:

My Mom, My Coach,
When Words Fail, Follow Your Heart, and
How I Lost My Worry When My Mom Got Sick.