Our mom has lived a life most people wouldn’t survive. She worked three jobs at a time to keep us afloat. She buried a daughter — a grief no parent should ever have to carry. She took care of everyone else, even when she had nothing left for herself.
When she finally reached retirement, she let herself dream for the first time. She bought an RV and imagined a life on the open road — slow mornings, long highways, and the freedom she had earned a thousand times over. She talked about Alaska with a spark in her eyes, imagining mountains, quiet air, and a world bigger than her pain.
But her health collapsed before she ever got to live that dream. She has progressive interstitial lung disease caused by an autoimmune disease called and pulmonary hypertension that’s putting dangerous strain on her heart. She has only one kidney, and the medications she must take to slow the progression are wreaking havoc on her body. Her body is getting tired. The cold she once longed for now steals her breath. She had to sell her RV. She had to let go of Alaska. She had to let go of the life she waited her whole life to begin.
There is one dream she still holds onto — one she talks about with that same spark she used to have when she imagined the open road.
She wants to see whales.
Not on a screen.
Not in a book.
She wants to feel the ocean air, hear the water break, and watch those gentle giants rise from the deep.
A warm‑weather cruise is the only way she can safely experience that now — gentle enough for her heart, warm enough for her lungs, and restful enough for her body. My sister and I want to give her this one beautiful thing. This one moment of wonder. This one memory that isn’t shaped by loss or sacrifice.
But between medical needs, accessibility, travel, and the cruise itself, the cost is more than we can carry alone.
We’re not asking for extravagance.
We’re asking for a gift of dignity.
A gift of joy.
A gift of “you deserved so much more than life ever allowed.”
Help Us Give Our Mom Her Final Wish
Newest Great Grandbaby! She never misses an opportunity to be present, not just there.
She lost her mom at Christmas 2025. I dont think I will be able to have as much grace and class when she crosses over. Im over 50 and there are days I just want my mom.
With her niece at college graduation. Angela was Suezets niece by marriage with her first husband 40+ years ago, but she made a point of keeping that relationship when so many others might not have.
Suezet LOVES horses. My sister "rented" this horse for a trail ride for mom. This was her last time to ride and she probably will not be able to again.
She is a wonderful Great Grandma! Books have always been her passion, and now they are his.
I Love this! She was such a beautiful girl back in the day! No wonder my father was smitten! The marriage didn't last but they got me and my sister out of the deal. Later she would loose my other sister. While that has been many years ago, the pain still haunts her I think.
Love the glasses!
My mom was born in Germany.
