August 10, 2022 was the worst day of my life. The reason why is because that was the day my mom passed away from stage 4 liver cancer. It was the worst experience of my life. The truth of the matter is that this wasn’t my mom’s first battle with cancer. In August of 2010, she was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. Over the course of several months, she went through chemotherapy, radiation therapy, a double mastectomy, and reconstructive surgery. By early 2011, she was declared cancer free. Late July of 2020 was when she was diagnosed with stage 4 liver cancer. She had to go through several sessions of chemotherapy and various other treatments over the next 2 years, but it wouldn’t get rid of the cancer. She also went through Covid and pneumonia in 2022, but those were a cakewalk compared to what would come next. August 3, 2022 was when she was revealed to have sepsis. She was breathing rapidly and couldn’t respond. She was rushed to the hospital and was sedated. She did wake up the next day. Although she the sepsis was gone, the doctors continued to give her treatments to prevent the sepsis from coming back. Things were looking up. Sadly, things took a turn for the worst on August 10 when the cancer became too aggressive. She got to see me and my brother one last time, and she couldn’t speak. One of the doctors gave her morphine. I was looking back and forth at the heart monitor. My mom passed away at around 11 PM. I spent 11 hours in that hospital, and it was the worst 11 hours of my life. My mom was surrounded by me, my dad, my brother, and my grandparents. My dad stated that he’s never going to remarry, and I understand his decision. He took his radio show off the air for a few days, and I took a week and a half off from work. The funeral was August 18. Several relatives, neighbors, and even some of my mom’s former coworkers showed up. I did promise to dedicate my next story to my mom. I even went as far as to say “fuck cancer” multiple times at her funeral, and I’d never wish cancer on my worst enemies. 4 days after the funeral, my dad brought mom’s ashes home. My mom made it home, but not the way we wanted because we wanted her home alive. I know that my mom is still with me because her ghost is helping me and people who I care about. Sometimes I see her in my dreams, but it could just as easily be her ghost making contact with me. My mom was one of my biggest supporters when it comes to my stories. She wants me to keep writing and to keep helping people. So I listen to her. I don’t know how else to end this journal entry except for 2 words: fuck cancer!