In Memory of My Mother, Xiu Xiu Zhao
Donation protected
Xiu Xiu Zhao, also known as Ada by many, was an incredible woman.
She was a wife to my deceased father, a mother to me, a daughter and sister to her family, and grandmother to two very cute kittens.
On April 25th, my mother lost her fight with kidney cancer, exactly a year after she was diagnosed in April 2018. She was only 54 years old. I tried everything I could to save her, including chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and even traditional Chinese medicine. I didn't want the most important person in my life to leave me when I still had so many things I wanted to experience with her.
But over the course of this journey, I saw her changing, and slowly becoming weaker. As much as she was deeply loved by me, my family, and her friends, we were slowly losing her to this horrible disease. I switched her from treatment to hospice at the beginning of the year and never regretted the choice. She was well taken care of by the staff of Calvary Hospital, which gave me a lot of relief as I went to work to support the bills at home. While I was told that I would be informed ahead of time when she would take a turn for the worse, that moment never happened. Perhaps it was the words I told her the night before her passing that finally made her feel at ease. I told her that she should stop worrying about me as I wasn't alone, being surrounded by people who loved me. Instead, I wanted her to take care of herself, as I was already raised well by her to become a strong and independent woman. After all, I had an incredible role model to look up to.
My final words to her were the ones I told her every night since I established our secret goodnight exchange many years ago when I was a kid. "Goodnight mommy. I love you." A kiss. And then, "See you tomorrow."
She went away peacefully in her sleep that night, without ever reaching a critical low point in her health. And for that, I am incredibly grateful and relieved.
I hope she was able to meet my father in heaven, who she loved deeply even after 22 years of losing him. She never remarried out of her love for him and me.
She taught me so much about how to love and care for others. Always putting their needs above her own. Extending a helping hand whenever she could. She just wanted to make the world slightly happier than she found it by spreading joy to her family, friends, and customers when she worked as a nail technician for the majority of her life in the United States.
The rest of my extended family and I have made arrangements to lay her to rest on April 30th. While most of the expenses are covered, I still need a little support to cover the funeral 100%. Every little bit helps and I will remember each contribution, whether it was in the form of a gift or in the form of supportive words. Thank you so much.
She was a wife to my deceased father, a mother to me, a daughter and sister to her family, and grandmother to two very cute kittens.
On April 25th, my mother lost her fight with kidney cancer, exactly a year after she was diagnosed in April 2018. She was only 54 years old. I tried everything I could to save her, including chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and even traditional Chinese medicine. I didn't want the most important person in my life to leave me when I still had so many things I wanted to experience with her.
But over the course of this journey, I saw her changing, and slowly becoming weaker. As much as she was deeply loved by me, my family, and her friends, we were slowly losing her to this horrible disease. I switched her from treatment to hospice at the beginning of the year and never regretted the choice. She was well taken care of by the staff of Calvary Hospital, which gave me a lot of relief as I went to work to support the bills at home. While I was told that I would be informed ahead of time when she would take a turn for the worse, that moment never happened. Perhaps it was the words I told her the night before her passing that finally made her feel at ease. I told her that she should stop worrying about me as I wasn't alone, being surrounded by people who loved me. Instead, I wanted her to take care of herself, as I was already raised well by her to become a strong and independent woman. After all, I had an incredible role model to look up to.
My final words to her were the ones I told her every night since I established our secret goodnight exchange many years ago when I was a kid. "Goodnight mommy. I love you." A kiss. And then, "See you tomorrow."
She went away peacefully in her sleep that night, without ever reaching a critical low point in her health. And for that, I am incredibly grateful and relieved.
I hope she was able to meet my father in heaven, who she loved deeply even after 22 years of losing him. She never remarried out of her love for him and me.
She taught me so much about how to love and care for others. Always putting their needs above her own. Extending a helping hand whenever she could. She just wanted to make the world slightly happier than she found it by spreading joy to her family, friends, and customers when she worked as a nail technician for the majority of her life in the United States.
The rest of my extended family and I have made arrangements to lay her to rest on April 30th. While most of the expenses are covered, I still need a little support to cover the funeral 100%. Every little bit helps and I will remember each contribution, whether it was in the form of a gift or in the form of supportive words. Thank you so much.
Organizer
Bobo Chiu
Organizer
Brooklyn, NY