Mothering doesn’t stop when your child turns 18 or when they finally leave your house. It doesn’t end when they start a family of their own either. Your children will always be your babies. And the good mothers — the true nurturers — never stop finding ways to be there for their children.
One woman on TikTok shared the last act of love her mother provided for her while she was in the middle of fighting her own health battle. It all started with a request.
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Kristi’s mom had one small request while in hospice. Kristi D Johnson wrote in the caption on a TikTok video, “My mom asked me for only one thing before she passed…”
She explained further in the video. In the first shot, we see Kristi’s mom carrying a tray of food to her in bed. The text over the video reads, “When my mom was dying of cancer, she asked ONE thing of me…She asked me to go ahead and schedule my knee surgery… so she’d still be here to take care of me.”
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Kristi’s mom cleaned and cooked for two days despite being in pain. Kristi honored her mother’s wishes and had the surgery in January 2021. In the next frame of the video Kristi wrote, “Even though she was already on hospice she came to take care of me.” Kristi’s mother slept beside her bed in a chair.
The next frame shows Kristi’s mom in the kitchen. “She cleaned and cooked for two whole days despite her own pain,” Kristi continued. She took pictures of her mother during this time because she thought this might be the last time she stayed there.
Months later, Kristi’s premonition came true. Sadly, she was right. Her mother died a few months later.
The family hosted the party their mother wanted in lieu of a traditional funeral. They covered an event hall with pictures of her throughout her life and decorated the space with her artwork. The family served all of the recipes their mother was famous for and all of her favorite foods.
Kristi concluded the video, writing: “She taught us to care for others…hope we are making her proud.” This example of motherhood deeply touched the people of TikTok.
The video has over 6 million views and folks are sharing their impressions of Kristi’s mom in the comment section.
“She wanted to take care of her baby one last time,” one user wrote.
“You gave her purpose again,” another user shared. “We live to care for our babies no matter how old they are.”
Other TikTokers expressed how the video made them feel emotional.
“Well I wasn’t planning on crying tonight,” one user wrote.
“I’m gonna miss crying for strangers on this app,” another wrote referencing the potential TikTok ban.
Ultimately, someone summed it up like this: “Your mom’s thought process was, even though I may not be here as long as I would like, I want my baby to know I will take care of her no matter what. That’s what a mother’s love is.” Perfectly stated.
