Funeral for my Mother
Passing
On the morning of Wednesday, November 22, 2015, I received a phone call from the doctor. They told me she was not breathing, so they attempted resuscitation. But it didn't work. As a result, she passed away. I was greatly saddened to hear this. I wanted to give her at least a second chance to live the same quality of life she experienced before the 2006 incident. Though we shared many memories together, that second chance at life never happened.
“How can I help?”
Please help me. One of her last wishes was to undergo a traditional funeral upon passing. This is something I hope to honor, but I cannot do so without your help. I do not have a job and my only source of income is financial aid. I have not eaten much as I am scraping what I have to pay for this. All money fundraised will be used to pay for my mom's funeral expenses. Anything leftover will be used for rent and food.
Background
My mother, Nicetas C. Somera, was the first in her family to leave the Ilocos Sur farmlands to study at a university. After graduating from Arellano University and St. Catherine College of Nursing, she attained her Bachelor's of Science in Nursing. She worked twenty total years as a nurse; ten serving government institutions in the Philippines and another ten years in hospitals and convalescents in Florida and Southern California.
Quality of service was one of mom’s strongest characteristics. In everything she set her mind to, she completed things with utmost care. As a mother, she was loving and practical. She went beyond making delicious food and maintaining a clean home [even when we lived in places that wouldn’t be considered ‘homes’]. She always checked on me and relatives to see how we were doing, even when we didn’t ask. She has also shared stories of patients thanking her for her extra-careful service. She has been complimented for things such as carefully injecting needles into patients so they feel almost no pain. She also took time to listen to meaningful stories from patients, especially those that had no relatives to visit them. From her prime to her last days, she gave everything she could.
However, she suffered several trials and hardships in the latter part of her lifetime. In 2006, a coworker gave her a 'massage' that dislocated her shoulder. This severely hampered her ability to work. Not only did this cost her to lose her job, but this was also why she could not find work again. She tried applying for disability on multiple occasions, but was always turned-down. Mom, dad, and I suffered a financial drought that lasted for many years. We struggled with rent and, consequently, with finding a stable place to live. Around the time the financial drought ended, her shoulder aches and muscle movement slightly improved. Unfortunately, we soon learned she was diagnosed with rectal cancer. She tried fighting it, but to no avail. Oftentimes, her body was in too much pain to withstand treatments. The cancer slowly withered down her body and energy, making her bed-ridden.
My Role in This
Although I became her official caretaker March 2015, I stepped up to help her in 2006. I started getting my academics straight in middle school so she would have one less thing to worry about. After graduating from high school in 2011, I took a year-off after high school and helped her renew her Nursing License in-hopes she could find work again. But to no avail. Once I started receiving financial aid in Fall of 2012, the financial drought eased and I used some of that money to help her with food. In Fall of 2013, she was diagnosed with rectal cancer. I then unofficially took the caretaking roll, helping her manage mounting financial and medical records. The assistance I provided slowly overwhelmed my personal life, to the point I had to withdraw mid-semester in Spring of 2015. She reluctantly understood why I did this, but wanted me to continue Fall of 2015 regardless of what happens.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and I would be grateful for any amount you can give.