12/02/2015
I wanted to share the below with everyone that supported Sue in her fight against breast cancer. This was written by Sue's son, Nelson, on Thanksgiving...
Today I am thankful for for the 31 years I was able to spend with my mother.
Thank you to everyone who has reached out to our family. She passed away in peace, with all of her children at home and by her side. I like to think that she is in a better place now.
She was an amazing person who fought through an incredible amount of pain and adversity when most others, put in her shoes, would most certainly give up.
She did it for us, her family.
Too proud to take handouts to support her and her children through hard times as a single mom with minimal education, she put the average entitled American to shame simply by doing the necessary hard work, rid of excuse, knowing that this great country had so much to offer people if they only tried. She knew this because she wasn't so lucky to have the same luxuries where she grew up.
Her three children went on to earn advanced degrees and work in challenging fields as skilled businesspeople, military officers, and far-overqualified moms that have raised amazing children whilst continuing to strive in pharmacological education. Nevertheless, she would destroy every one of us at a game of Words with Friends.
She fought cancer for over a quarter of her life and refused to quit working because she was adamant in keeping the beautiful home she had worked so hard for. To her, this home was a sanctuary where she could rally her all of her children and provide them with meals on special occasions that would rival any chef in this world. She would always stand in the kitchen, in the face of great protest, washing dishes until we all had dug in. She lived to take care of us, even if we didn't need it anymore. But really we did need her, in other ways.
She was a proud citizen of Thailand and although she eventually started the process of pledging her American citizenship in her final months, we had to cancel her last appointment because of her health. In the end it does not matter. She was a better American than most, and the flag I personally flew for her in Operation Enduring Freedom will forever be hers, a citizen of both Thailand and the United States.
I have tried to live my life by her example, and think I have done the best I could thus far. I pledge to be a better man in her memory. She would talk of how proud she was of me but it is not possible to comprehend how proud of her I am.
In my career as a military officer and pilot, I have chosen a life where I am not always able to be home and directly take care of my family. Sometimes it was incredibly challenging to know that while I was off trying to help rid the world of scum and save the good guys, my sisters and wife were back home, saving one of the most important people in my life.
Great commanders, men I gladly put my life on the line for, have given me more time with my family through these hard times than I can ever thank them for. Airmen, my brothers in arms, have been there for me in ways that I cannot fathom. Because of their efforts, I came home from war early and was able to spend my mother's last few weeks and moments in this world by her side, her hand in mine. I can never repay you for this.
Mom, I love you so much, I am incredibly proud of the person you were, and I hope that I can continue to make you proud with the life that I have left in this world. There will not be a day that goes by that I will not think of the kind, caring, selfless, intelligent and courageous warrior that you were. I will miss you always.
Your incredibly proud son,
Nelson
