Leaving a small tribute here in the memory of my step-mom, my Ah Ee, my mother for 28 years of my life, who went back to be with the Lord on the 9th of June…
You came, you left, you leave behind a sea of sadness, but so much memories of hope & joy.
As sudden as you came into our lives, more sudden it was when you went away.
You are now with the Lord. May you now have the peace that you desired & so deserve.
Your world now is the world of eternal comfort and peace and everything nice.
RIP Mom, till we meet again someday…
Mom left us suddenly on the night of the 9th of June, 2016. She had Stage-4 lung cancer, but it wasn’t exactly cancer that took her away from us. I don’t know the exact cause, but I suspect it to be a combination of diabetes and the potent side effects of the cancer drug that she was taking.
On Thursday, 9th June, morning I received a whatsapp message from Dad saying that they had admitted mom into the ICU of the local specialist centre in Butterworth. She was breathless, and her blood pressure had risen to 214. Her blood sugar was also high.
By the afternoon, everything had stabilized, and her chest x-ray actually showed that the cancer in her lungs had abated!! Ultrasound results were also good! A while later, another message came saying that mom’s kidneys aren’t working and that a dialysis would have to be done. About an hour later, I saw a lot of missed calls on my phone (was charging the phone on the laptop), and finally the whatsapp message bearing the bad news.
Only the doctors were with her at that time. Dad, sis Hazel and Su the maid had momentarily left the hospital, having been told to return in 4 hours’ time as dialysis would have taken that much time. They went for dinner, and had just reached home when they received a call from the hospital. This was after only about an hour from when they left the hospital. By the time they got back to the hospital, mom was gone. Doctor said her heart failed. It was that sudden. Nothing of what anyone expected. Only 2 months back, mom was looking fine. We watched a movie together (Zootopia) and even had dinner in Penang. Still can’t believe that she’s gone, so soon.
Our last outing with mom, Penang, April 2016
Thanks Mom, for coming into our lives. For accepting us as your children. For accepting our family as your family, our children as your grandchildren. Thank you for accepting our father, a widower with 3 children as your husband. For loving him, helping him, and taking care of him so thoroughly. Thank you for giving us a sister, and nurturing her to be the wonderful person she is now. Thank you for the discreet acts of love that you showered onto us, never talking about it nor asking even once for recognition. Without you we would not have done many things, might never have had the chance to further our studies overseas. You gave us that valuable gift.
I’m sorry not to have known you better. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to return the kindness you’d given us. You are a deeply misunderstood person. To some, you are proud and unfriendly, unsmiling and insensitive. But they’ve not seen your jovial side, nor your kind side. They’ve not known the things you’ve done, always done subtly, without fanfare. To me, your actions speak louder than words, and I thank you for everything that you’ve done for us.
Maybe it was a blessing in disguise, maybe God did answer our prayers and took you home, without letting you suffer the deadly effects of cancer. One last time, Mom, goodbye.
Here are some photos of the wake and funeral for remembrance's sake…
Mom’s last time in her beloved Butterworth House
Makeshift kitchen & tents – One good thing about Malaysia, you can close up the road and use part of the park for a function like this, without needing a permit. Just an understanding from the neighbours is all that’s needed. (We blocked 5 houses’ entrances for 3 days). Thank God for giving us such understanding and accommodating neighbours. If all Malaysians can be like this, it’d be paradise
The church service at our home…
Bidding our last farewell to Mom
At the crematorium, with Pastor Bernard on the right
Family and friends have been a pillar of strength for us throughout the few days of mourning. Thanks everyone for your kind wishes and support… Here’re some photos of family we seldom see.
Family of my cousin sister, Ah Yee (she’s my natural mother’s brother’s daughter), taking a photo with Stacey, Jason’s daughter (left)
Tua-Kor (Big Aunt), with cousin brother Kok Seng, and wife
Tua-Kor’s other son, Kok Leong, and family
Dad’s younger brother, Seihan-Chik and Seihan-Chim from Singapore
Mom’s elder brother (right), and elder sister and her husband (left)
In laughter and in tears – mom’s former long-time maid, Nanik (left), and Sukate (Su), her current temporary maid
In happier times – a family picture outside our Butterworth House, Jan 2015
You came, you left, you leave behind a sea of sadness, but so much memories of hope & joy.
As sudden as you came into our lives, more sudden it was when you went away.
You are now with the Lord. May you now have the peace that you desired & so deserve.
Your world now is the world of eternal comfort and peace and everything nice.
RIP Mom, till we meet again someday…
Mom left us suddenly on the night of the 9th of June, 2016. She had Stage-4 lung cancer, but it wasn’t exactly cancer that took her away from us. I don’t know the exact cause, but I suspect it to be a combination of diabetes and the potent side effects of the cancer drug that she was taking.
On Thursday, 9th June, morning I received a whatsapp message from Dad saying that they had admitted mom into the ICU of the local specialist centre in Butterworth. She was breathless, and her blood pressure had risen to 214. Her blood sugar was also high.
By the afternoon, everything had stabilized, and her chest x-ray actually showed that the cancer in her lungs had abated!! Ultrasound results were also good! A while later, another message came saying that mom’s kidneys aren’t working and that a dialysis would have to be done. About an hour later, I saw a lot of missed calls on my phone (was charging the phone on the laptop), and finally the whatsapp message bearing the bad news.
Only the doctors were with her at that time. Dad, sis Hazel and Su the maid had momentarily left the hospital, having been told to return in 4 hours’ time as dialysis would have taken that much time. They went for dinner, and had just reached home when they received a call from the hospital. This was after only about an hour from when they left the hospital. By the time they got back to the hospital, mom was gone. Doctor said her heart failed. It was that sudden. Nothing of what anyone expected. Only 2 months back, mom was looking fine. We watched a movie together (Zootopia) and even had dinner in Penang. Still can’t believe that she’s gone, so soon.
Our last outing with mom, Penang, April 2016
Thanks Mom, for coming into our lives. For accepting us as your children. For accepting our family as your family, our children as your grandchildren. Thank you for accepting our father, a widower with 3 children as your husband. For loving him, helping him, and taking care of him so thoroughly. Thank you for giving us a sister, and nurturing her to be the wonderful person she is now. Thank you for the discreet acts of love that you showered onto us, never talking about it nor asking even once for recognition. Without you we would not have done many things, might never have had the chance to further our studies overseas. You gave us that valuable gift.
I’m sorry not to have known you better. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to return the kindness you’d given us. You are a deeply misunderstood person. To some, you are proud and unfriendly, unsmiling and insensitive. But they’ve not seen your jovial side, nor your kind side. They’ve not known the things you’ve done, always done subtly, without fanfare. To me, your actions speak louder than words, and I thank you for everything that you’ve done for us.
Maybe it was a blessing in disguise, maybe God did answer our prayers and took you home, without letting you suffer the deadly effects of cancer. One last time, Mom, goodbye.
Here are some photos of the wake and funeral for remembrance's sake…
Mom’s last time in her beloved Butterworth House
Makeshift kitchen & tents – One good thing about Malaysia, you can close up the road and use part of the park for a function like this, without needing a permit. Just an understanding from the neighbours is all that’s needed. (We blocked 5 houses’ entrances for 3 days). Thank God for giving us such understanding and accommodating neighbours. If all Malaysians can be like this, it’d be paradise
The church service at our home…
Bidding our last farewell to Mom
At the crematorium, with Pastor Bernard on the right
Family and friends have been a pillar of strength for us throughout the few days of mourning. Thanks everyone for your kind wishes and support… Here’re some photos of family we seldom see.
Family of my cousin sister, Ah Yee (she’s my natural mother’s brother’s daughter), taking a photo with Stacey, Jason’s daughter (left)
Tua-Kor (Big Aunt), with cousin brother Kok Seng, and wife
Tua-Kor’s other son, Kok Leong, and family
Dad’s younger brother, Seihan-Chik and Seihan-Chim from Singapore
Mom’s elder brother (right), and elder sister and her husband (left)
In laughter and in tears – mom’s former long-time maid, Nanik (left), and Sukate (Su), her current temporary maid
In happier times – a family picture outside our Butterworth House, Jan 2015
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