by Nadia Ramoutar, MMM Communications Coordinator                     Ireland                   07.11.2026

Recently, my mother died.

I know that is a loaded sentence and while concise and short it is very heavy.  I have heard grief referred to as a wet blanket.  Something that is much heavier than it would normally be.  Many people who have already lost their mother can empathise with my experience.  Many people who have not yet lost their mother’s may dread this.  Then there are also people who never had a relationship with their mother.  We all have different stories and different paths to walk in life.

What we do know though and do not like to admit is that all of our lives are on a path to death.  As such, death is inevitable, no matter who we are.

I was fortunate to spend three hours with my mother in the afternoon before she died in her sleep.  She was comfortable and literally died on new plush cushions I had just bought.  But not everyone gets to die in such a peaceful way.  Many suffer brutally and have nothing but concrete below them when they die.

While I was visiting the MMM Missions in Tanzania, I was amazed at the devotion of our MMM Sisters and staff there.  We spent a day with Dr/Sr. Marian Scena, visiting patients who were in palliative care.  It was so moving to see how patient she was with the patients, and how much compassion she showed them too.  Many were in difficult situations and when they saw Dr/Sr. Marian entering their homes, they were illuminated with relief.  She and the staff member with her brought medical supplies, medication and other resources when needed.  But more than anything they brought dignity and a sense of comfort at a time when someone really needed it.

I recall specifically a grandmother who was dying and her grandchildren and her sons were coming to her and asking her for things.  It was as if they were not really willing to see the huge pain and discomfort the woman was in at the end of her life.  The family, as many do, wanted to act like everything was normal and death was not a reality to accept.  It was business as usual.

The MMM sisters and staff in many remote and isolated places in the world bring a massive amount of relief to people in their hour of need – especially when hope of treatment is over and death is near.  I will never forget witnessing the way in which I saw people held in kindness, care and compassion in Tanzania.

It really helped me put all my concerns and personal worries aside to attend to my own mother.  It made me a better person. I am grateful to have been mentored in such an unintentional way.  The help and support that we get from caring people allow the MMM Sisters to continue to be there in people’s darkest hours.  We could not do it without such generosity.