This month I turned 58, and I consider it one of life’s greatest blessings that my dear mother is still with us, strong and graceful at 80 years old.

Thinking back, one memory from when I was around 14 years old — in Year 9 — still lives vividly in my heart. I had an appointment for a tooth extraction, and my mother, as always, came with me. She stood right behind the dentist’s chair, holding my hand tightly, a quiet pillar of support.

The procedure didn’t go as smoothly as expected. The tooth was stubborn and wouldn’t come out easily. I was in a lot of pain, and my mother, seeing me suffer, couldn’t bear it. Suddenly, with a loud bang, she collapsed backwards. The dentist panicked, leaving me mid-procedure to attend to her. He quickly placed her in the recovery position and checked her breathing. Thankfully, within seconds, she regained consciousness, confused but okay.

Once she was alert again, the dentist resumed the extraction. I stayed strong, but once it was all over, my concern shifted entirely to her. I made sure she was well enough to travel, hailed a cab, and took her home — not the other way around. Even as a teenager, I knew where my priorities lay: with the woman who loved me so deeply, she fainted at the sight of my pain.

My mother is incredibly strong and brave, but that day showed me something even deeper — the tender vulnerability that comes with unconditional love. A mother’s heart feels her child’s pain as if it were her own. That moment, etched in my memory forever, reminds me just how precious she is.

God bless my mother. She is still going strong at 80, and I thank God every day for her life.

“A mother is she who can take the place of all others, but whose place no one else can take.” — Cardinal Mermillod