The ginger plant outside the house with a single blossom. Mom was always an avid gardener and would make the house look alive with all the plants and greenery.

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It’s been a long month. Mom passed away peacefully a week ago after battling hard with the complication of her cancer. In a way, it was all very sudden, as we didn’t discover the problem until late December. I went back to Melbourne with a heavy heart, and hadn’t planned on going back to see her until maybe March. In a way, lots of events aligned themselves and I decided to go back to celebrate Chinese New Year with my family. It would be the last time I would get to spend time with her. I was told that she had a good 5 days while I was around before her admission to ICU on the first day of Chinese New Year, as she had been administered with the drugs from chemotherapy and was feeling the ill effects of it. I could only imagine how horrible it was when I spoke to her a week before I came back home. Mom was tired, but alert and still able to eat and talk to me. I never got the chance to give her a hug until she was gone, as I was afraid of giving her an infection due to her compromised immune system from the chemotherapy.

Cancer is a scary thing, and you really never think about it until it has afflicted someone you love dearly. Mom was strong and she really wanted to get well, and was also looking forward to visiting me again in Melbourne during the autumn period. I really believed that she would overcome it, that I could spend another year, 5 years, or even 20 years with her. Alas, her body conspired against her and I will never get to hear her words of advice or see the warm, sweet smile and hug she gave me everytime I came home.

Mom used to read this blog diligently and it was how she knew what I was up to in Melbourne. I miss her a lot, and while we did talk, I found out more about her after her passing than before. She always wanted the best for us kids, but I guess this finally took a toll on her health.

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Mom, love you lots. We will always love and remember you.