Saioa’s story

My mom was a mother to many more than my sister and me. My friends used to text her often, and we even partied all together a few times. During my college years, I became friends with a ton of exchange students. She got to meet most of them. Every holiday I went back home, I brought some friends with me. My parents hosted them and a couple of days later, bam, they were also friends. They were never regular parents. Most of my mom’s Facebook friends are friends of mine that admire her and love her. Mertxe was one of a kind.

 On December 26th, a medical accident took her away from all of us all of a sudden. But oh, did she do incredible things meanwhile. My mom was the strongest woman I ever met. When my sister was born, the ambulance didn´t get there in time, so she gave birth all on her own. She never complained once. And so she died the same way she lived. She made history in the hospital. They had never seen anyone survive the stuff she did. I will always be so proud of her.

 The day she passed away, at 61 years young, she was in a coma. We couldn’t say goodbye. And so I discovered the importance of expressing your feelings. Always. We were so lucky we got to love each other “out loud” every day for 31 years. And so in her memory, I promise I will always express my love. I won´t move on. I will move forward, with her as present as ever. I will speak out loud about my grief the same way I speak out loud about my love for her. Grief and love go hand in hand.  Even after her death, she is still teaching me most of what I know. I miss her every day, but I know I can handle it. She taught me to handle pain. She taught me how to find light in the darkest days. A million times, thank you, mum. Couldn´t have done it without your lessons.

 Death can only take so much away, and her love, luckily, is timeless.