A personal tribute to my mummy, Fatima Topan: the driver of our values.

3/10/2020

It turns out this week I never actually got beyond Monday at the nursery. My mum has been in hospital since the 6th September. She was 84 and had a fall. Although there were no fractures her time in hospital exposed other things going on.

Very sadly, Mummy died on Thursday 1st October from aspiration pneumonia. We got the call early on Tuesday morning to say that she was nearing the end of her beautiful life. We were so lucky to have had those last few days with her as she became more lucid and we took the opportunity to remind her of how much we loved her and she told us that she loved all of us too, very much ‘always, always’ she emphasised.

She quietly and peacefully, with grace and dignity, slipped out of this life. Mummy has found her angel wings and her soul is flying high. To say she will be missed is an understatement. From the very core of my being I will miss her. But I will take what she taught and what she stood for and do the best I can to continue to emulate her strong values.

She taught kindness, compassion and love.

Since her time in hospital and her passing, my dad, my brother and myself have been inundated with messages from all over. There have been close family, extended family, friends and even those that she simply brushed contact with who have all called and paid tributes to the person that she was. And in all of them there has been the constant themes on what a kind, giving, caring and loving person she was. All of them. People remember her with deep rooted affection because of those traits. She did not have one single bad cell in her body.

And she was smart! So smart that she could intuit very quickly. It was a smartness that was driven not just by logic but also empathy and concern. She had the ability to read people. That’s probably one of the reasons why she enjoyed the company of all the children she ever encountered. She ensured that she played, spent time and nurtured every one of them always making sure she had chocolates at the ready in her bag! She loved her grandchildren with a passion.

Children are open books and they will give of their time generously offering love and engaging very freely; those qualities were embedded in Mummy and it made everyone love her and want to spend time with her and remember her. She was loved so much because of her nature. She gave love and offered counsel and she would seek it out, she always wanted to help. ‘Fawzia come over and we can have a chat.’ She always seemed to know when something was up, there was no hiding anything from her.

So! Here’s to my beautiful angel Mummy. I am so grateful that I could call you mine and for everything that you did and the person you were.

And here’s to all those values that you embodied. The world is distinctly less bright for those you have left behind but we will be your standard bearers. I really look forward to being reunited with you again one day in the future.

Here are some pictures I managed to take on Monday! Also one of Mummy who is the driving force of the values embedded in the nursery. She has an impact and legacy on all our lives.

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