I lost my mother a week ago, which was exactly one week before Mother's Day. Yesterday I woke up on Mother's Day and all I could think of was, "How many hours until bedtime?" I went through the motions of the day with my own children, and figured it out. Tears came randomly, and they also stopped. I made it through the day.
My mom's death certificate arrived, and had breast cancer as the cause of death. After Googling "wrong cause of death on death certificate" (1 in 3 death certificates have the wrong cause of death listed!), I contacted the funeral home and the hospice location where she spent only 14 hours before she died. The funeral home person asked if it really mattered, but the hospice person said she was so sorry that happened and would help me get an amended certificate. In the big picture, it really wouldn't matter to most people, but it matters to me. I want to make sure that my mom is counted correctly. The lung cancer researchers should know they lost another warrior this month. She was strong and fought with all her might for almost two years. Sometimes it is important to be a number.
