In loving Memory of Saumei Wu (Rita)- A Mother, A Fighter.

We gather not only to mourn, but to remember and to celebrate the incredible life of a woman who touched us all with her strength, grace, and love. My sister Rita was many things: a daughter, a sister, a wife, a nurse, a friend. But above all, she was a mother. Her world revolved around her two beautiful children Grayson, a vibrant five-year-old and Miliana-a toddler not yet two who were the light of her life and the reason she fought so fiercely.

Just over a year ago, Rita was diagnosed with stage 4 gastric cancer. It was a devastating blow, the kind of news that shakes the ground beneath your feet. But from the very beginning, she faced it with a kind of courage that left us in awe. She endured surgery, chemotherapy, hospital stays, and setbacks that would have broken even the strongest spirit. Yet she never stopped being a mom. She never stopped giving everything she had to the people she loved. During her treatment she went to Washington DC to advocate at the Stomach Cancer Patient Empowerment Summit.

There were days when she was so exhausted, so sick from treatment, that simply getting through the day was a victory. But she still found ways to be present. She read stories, kissed bruises, held little hands, and whispered words of love that will echo in her children’s hearts for the rest of their lives.

Rita’s strength wasn’t loud or dramatic, it was quiet and constant. It lived in the way she smiled through her pain, how she asked about others even when she was suffering, and how she somehow made space for hope, even when the prognosis was grim.

She wanted more time, more birthdays, more milestones, more ordinary moments. And while a year was not enough, it was a year filled with deep love, unwavering determination, and the kind of beauty that only exists in the hardest of places.

Rita leaves behind not just memories, but a legacy of resilience and love. Her children will grow up knowing they were the heartbeat of an extraordinary woman. And we, who were lucky enough to know her, will carry her with us always, in every act of kindness, in every moment of grace, and in every quiet show of strength.

She may be gone from our sight, but never from our hearts.

We kindly ask for your continued prayers during this incredibly difficult time. Your love and support mean the world to our family as we grieve the loss of someone so dear to us.

If you feel led to contribute, any donations will go towards memorial expenses and to support her two young children Grayson and Miliana as they grow up without their mother’s physical presence but with her love surrounding them always.

Memorial Services will soon follow as we navigate through this difficult time. All updates and information will be posted here.

Our families would like to take special time out to acknowledge the staff at St. Peter’s University Hospital Infusion Center and Oncology Unit, ICU, and Hospice Team.

If giving is not possible, sharing goes a long way.