It pains me to write this as a son; but my family is going through a difficult and challenging time in our lives.

On Saturday May 3, 2025. My mom (age 66) had internal bleeding in her stomach; which led to a heart attack. This caused stress to her body and she ended up having an ischemic stroke which blocks arteries in the brain. My dad living with her called 911; the ambulance came to evaluate and take her to the ER at Swedish Hospital in Seattle. While in the ER, she stopped breathing for approximately 5 mins while doctors performed CPR trying to resuscitate her.

After getting her heart going again, they connected her to a breathing machine/tube in the Cardiovascular ICU. MRI’s, CT scans and ultrasounds showed damage to 3 areas of her brain. My mom is currently on life support and isn’t able to talk, move her body, open her eyes, nor likely understand what is going on. There’s been significant damage to her brain and body. She’s previously endured a previous stroke, broken bones, quadruple heart bypass surgery; along with many other issues along the way. My dad has been by her side, and my family has been visiting as frequently as possible. I am broken; but trying to be strong for my family; especially for my 2 year old daughter.

We are at a crossroads where the doctors gave us two options:

1. Breathing tube comes out, if my mom isn’t able to breathe on her own she would need a trachea. If she recoveries; doctors explained to us about needing 24/7 care, vision loss, brain impairment, paralysis, bed ridden, and not being able to anything on her own in a nursing home. Quality of life would painful and a less than 2% chance of survival.

2. Breathing tube comes out, supporting her with oxygen; to evaluate whether she can breathe on her own. If she cannot, support her with medicine to ease the passing. If she is able to breathe on her own, medicine will support her until it time takes her.

The bills and funeral expenses as well as the processing this is weighing on us heavily. It feels like a dream, because the day before she was ok. I didn’t even get to hug her goodbye or say I love you while she was herself the last day I saw her.

She was such a hardworking person; she worked in Redmond, WA at Honeywell for over 35 years. She was always willing to give, whether it was to her siblings who needed help; or strangers that needed a helping hand. She’s never had an opportunity to enjoy retirement. Battling though her declining health, she made every effort to spend time with her family and her little 2 year old granddaughter Nola. They would enjoy laughing together, talking, kisses, and hugs.

There are so many vivid memories racing through my mind. They get brighter each day, but seeing your loved one laying there in discomfort with no signs of who they once were can leave the best of us broken. The toughest thing for me is that she doesn’t get to see my daughter grow up and that kills me inside.

I love you Mom, Thank you for pushing me to be better.