Hope Wesley Wagers TP in the USA
Starting strong because that’s who my mother was: strong
She continued working 40+ hours a week, undergoing chemo, manag- ing a household, cooking, cleaning, and never once backing down. She kept working until just 24 days before she passed away. How many people do you know who worked full-time while battling stage four cancer? She was selfless, always helping coworkers financially, even when it meant having less for herself. She gave love so fiercely that most people will never experience that kind of unconditional devotion. She wasn’t a doctor, a politician, or a celebrity, but she was my mother, and she was strong. Now, I am raising my daughter to be just as strong and independent, carrying on the legacy of the incredible woman I had the privilege of calling my mother.
From the moment she was born, life challenged her. Her biological moth- er left her as an infant, forcing my Abuelita to find someone to breast - feed her to keep her alive. There was no formula available to low-income families in Guatemala. My family was from Guatemala and traveled to America in the 1970s, but my mother had to stay behind. Due to delays with her paperwork, she lived with family friends for several years before finally being able to join them in the U.S. Once here, she faced struggle after struggle. As a young Hispanic girl from a low-income family, school was never easy, but she worked hard, excelling in her studies, working, and playing soccer. She did it all alone, as our family was busy working their jobs and unable to attend her games and activities. Despite this, her talent shined, and she was offered a soccer scholarship in Highland Park, IL. But life took a different turn. She met my father, who worked as a security guard at her job, and she gave it all up for him. She left city life behind and moved to the hollers of Manchester, KY. That’s where I was born. She named me Hope. Some say it was because Manchester is called the “City of Hope,” but she named me after Hope from Days of Our Lives. Like many women, she endured abuse—physical, mental, and emotion- al. She faced betrayal, heartbreak, and hardships but refused to be bro- ken. She left my father and raised three children on her own, working tirelessly to provide for us. She showed us that with hard work and per- severance, anything is possible. Later in life, she faced her toughest battle yet, stage four colon cancer. She fought for four long years, and through it all, she never stopped working.
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EXAMPLE OF RESILIENCE
LETTERS TO MOTHERS
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