My mother had always been a strong woman all her life. She fought hard for everything she had, raising five children with my father. Despite coming from a rough upbringing, she provided for all of us the best she could. As time passed, it became clear that she was having health trouble. Before I knew it, my once active mother, who couldn't take a break for the life of her, was bedridden. She had a bad liver, and it started to decline her health. I'd sit with her many nights, talking about the past, future plans, and about life. My mother was genuinely my rock when it came to life advice.

After a few weeks into the new year, my family and I noticed that her health took a huge jump for the worse. She was seeing things that weren't there, speaking about conversations that hadn't happened; we were all scared for her. A month later, she was unable to carry a full conversation and wasn't making the most sense. The nurses helping my family had told us it was dementia. Most of our immediate family had taken time off to say our goodbyes, and it was a good thing we did. The morning of February 8th, my father had found that she passed in her sleep. I am confident that the Lord was happy to claim an angel that earned her rightful place in heaven.

The donation funds will be used to pay for my mother's cremation process and for any other ceremony needs. My family is in a tight spot when it comes to money, especially since we took time off to be there for her before she passed on. If anyone is able to help, even with a spare dollar, my family and I deeply appreciate it and you. Even sharing my mother's story would mean the world to us. We don't come from a huge family, but others showing up, asking about our family, and wanting to help truly makes it feel like our family has expanded.