Mimi, My Greatest Blessing
By: Brooke Soard

I grew up in a small town in East Texas with a small family: my mom, dad, and myself. Being an only child, I was close to my parents, especially my mom. My mom, Michelle, aka “Mimi,” was always my biggest cheerleader, confidante, and nurturer once my son was born. Mimi had a loud, contagious laugh that could bring you to tears. She was an incredible listener- nonjudgmental, encouraging, and kind. Many times, in high school and college, I came home to find a friend on the front porch who was not visiting me but bent my mom's ear.

When my dad suddenly died when I was 18, my mom and I became even closer. We used to say it was “us against the world.” Mimi retired early, moved from East Texas to live closer to my family, and helped care for our son when my husband and I worked. Life with Mimi close by was good!

In 2020, during the pandemic, Mimi had multiple episodes of altered mental status, and doctors could not determine the cause. After months of tests, she ended up being diagnosed with non-alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver. My mom never drank alcohol, and despite years working in healthcare myself, I never even knew non-alcoholic cirrhosis existed. In the next two years, Mimi had multiple ICU stays, sepsis, infections that defied all antibiotics, and ultimately passed away on January 23, 2022, at the age of 70. By the age of 45, I had lost both of my parents.

I didn’t know what to do with all the feelings I was having as I made the final arrangements for my mom. I happened to find the Grief and Loss Center website and reached out to Laurie. We spoke on the phone for over an hour, and I told her about Mimi and how much I loved her and missed her already. I started participating in the monthly grief groups and truly feel that the groups have been a godsend. I haven’t found another group of people or “get its” as Laurie explained, during my grief journey.

I look forward to the grief group's monthly injection of comfort and kindness. During each meeting, someone always shares something or asks a question that makes me feel heard and not alone. I often feel “orphaned,” but the grief group brings me comfort. 

My mom will always be my greatest blessing, and the grief group has been one to me as well.