Grieving the Death of a Mother: Eight Long Years and Still Reeling

Judy wrote in unreleased second installment Officially ARTificial, “It's a terrible thing to see a living being taking its last breath. The intense contraction of the muscles around the jawline as the subject struggles to open its mouth wider to breathe in oxygen is transfixing. It's a scene that never leaves a person's subconsciousness and resurfaces periodically as a stark reminder of human frailty and how painful a person’s last moments can be." Those words were based upon some of Judy's memories. Firstly, it reminded her of her mom lying in the hospital before she coded. Some years prior, Judy also had the same experience watching her hedgehog take its last breath.

In this post, Judy revisits the agonizing death of her beloved mother and how she moved forward to the present. Part of her journey including finding ways to disconnect from reality, and bonding with her companion dog. But it also included family conflict, medical and financial challenges. The years flew by and Judy's mother became a time-marker within her family: what happened before her death, and what happened after.

And soon you will know how Judy coped.