with white hair, I recall my mother as if she were still with me. It was in 1994 that
Mother fell ill. At that time, I was also hurt in an accident and Mother and my sister can
to see me in San Francisco where I lived. Mother grieved over the death of my father,
which seriously affected her health. From over 20 years of experience in professional
health care, I could immediately discern that something was wrong with my mother.
Mother did not get any better even after a stretch of time. My elder brother took
her back to Taipei. At that time, she coughed terribly, which could have been due to her heavy smoking. She could also not sleep at night. Mother was eventually admitted into
the hospital for thorough examination. She could not go through all the examinations,
however, because of her diabetes and heart disease. The doctor informed us that Mother
most likely had lung cancer. Since she was over 70, the doctor thought it wiser not to
subject her to drastic treatments using western medicine.
I flew in from San Francisco to Taipei as soon as I, myself, got permission from
my doctor to travel. I wanted to be with Mother in her fight against cancer. I was the
third of Mother’s children and in childhood, I always felt that she never paid any serious
attention to me but instead took more care of my brothers and sisters. My last few days
with Mother, however, was an unforgettable memory deeply etched in my mind. I felt complete love from Mother and was even envied by my siblings.
traditional Chinese medicine was our only recourse. He found Tian Xian liquid and with
its use, a miracle happened. Mother’s will power coupled with Tian Xian liquid
prolonged her life for another 17 months. In the end, she surpassed the doctor’s dire
prediction of two months.
During those 17 months, Mother and I were inseparable planning where to go
shopping and even flying off to Hong Kong just to select a pearl necklace. Besides, I
tried my best to arrange for different people to accompany her play mahjong, which was
her absolute favorite. There was no sign of “seriously ill patient” in the family. The only
problem was that Mother could not sit on the chair for long. To remedy this, Brother employed the services of a masseuse who regularly came to the house to give Mother a
massage. One time when Mother went to the hospital for a physical examination, I also
had a gynecological exam and a tumor was found in my ovary. The doctor was not sure
whether it was malignant or benign so advised that it was safer to have it surgically
removed. Mother suggested, instead, that I should drink 6 bottles of Tian Xian liquid just
like her.
In another examination one and a half months later, the doctor was surprised and
informed that the tumor had disappeared so that it was no longer necessary to have an
operation. Mother and I, therefore, trusted more our Tian Xian treatments and never
stopped drinking it afterwards. In another year, Mother was re-admitted to the hospital
for one reason or another; maybe for her old age or diabetes and heart disease.
There seemed nothing else to be done except to take good care of her. Mother
never knew exactly what her disease was. Four or five days before her death, she
requested to have fried chicken and scheduled to have spare ribs for the following day. It
broke our hearts to see her eat so heartily and happily because we could sense that we
were nearing the end.
Mother’s fingernails, which were always painted red, were usually dry and thin.
During her last days, however, they appeared to be plum, tender and pretty. Doctors and
relatives, who visited, unanimously admired and complimented her on her beautiful
finger and toenails. Mother was quite happy and satisfied and smiled constantly without
knowing that her children were mourning.
I told my brothers and sister to be emotionally prepared and not let Mother be
bothered. We wanted to let her go through her last moments calmly, peacefully and contentedly. We signed an agreement with the hospital that we were waiving all
emergency measure when she had to go. I warned my siblings that such measures could
be cruel sometimes.
That night, when the electrocardiogram showed parallel lines, Mother stopped
breathing. I looked at Mother lying there so serenely without tears in my eyes.
Thanks to Tian Xian liquid, Mother was able to prolong her life peacefully. One
couldn’t wish for a better quality of life! As for myself, those last days with Mother will
always be guarded closely in my heart. Mother, calm and without pain, set out on another journey and we let her go with peace in our hearts.