It’s not the final goodbye for you and daughter

Dear June

WE lost our beautiful daughter last year and feel totally broken.

She was only 26 and had everything to live for. She had back pain and was often at the doctor, thinking it was a muscle strain.

Much later she was diagnosed with cancer, but by then nothing could be done. I feel so bitter.

She wanted to stay at home but was admitted to hospital for pain management and that’s where we said goodbye.

Tell me it was not a final goodbye.

Audrey, Glasgow.

June Says

Having to say goodbye to someone you love who hasn’t had a chance to live a full life due to terminal illness is one of the hardest experiences you will endure.

The bonds of love in a close family are strong but the strongest is usually between a mother and child.

It is heartbreaking for a mother to watch her child deteriorate knowing there is nothing she can do other than give love and reassurance that she’ll remain right there.

I get the impression you had a wonderful relationship with your daughter and, over the years, you became close friends.

I hear Elizabeth being called and I’m aware of three women standing together.

Is there someone in spirit who used to play the flute? It’s very faint but could be John Denver’s Annie’s Song.

Your beautiful daughter had a very compassionate and almost child-like, caring nature.

I see her surrounded by young children. Did she work with kids?

I feel a great sense of peace with her in spirit.

I am drawn to her lower stomach, where I sense her illness began.

She is surrounding you with lilac and mauve colours and I am being told to mention the forget-me-nots.

She knows how hard it is for you to carry on but wants you to know she is fine in the hope it will ease your pain a little.

You stayed with her and were emotionally strong until the end.

She can see you failing in your strength and is there by your side, helping you when you need it most with the same loyalty and unconditional love you once gave to her.

VERDICT

My beautiful daughter was also my best friend and I held her hand until the end.

In her childhood she played the flute and John Denver was a favourite of mine.

Cancer of the cervix was the main cause of her pain but its late discovery meant it had already spread.

Elizabeth was my grandmother’s name and my younger sister is also gone, so that could account for the three women together.

She loved children and was a primary school teacher who continued to work right up to a few months before she died.

I planted seeds recently and forget-me-nots were among them, but they have not come to anything yet.

Lilac and mauve were her favourite colours.