The last letter a dying mum wrote to her daughter shortly before she succumbed to cancer is going viral, and a word of warning: do not read this if you don’t want to be sobbing at your desk / on the train / in public. Do not.
Hannah Summers, an 18-year-old college freshman, shared the letter from her mum Margaret (who went by Peggy) on Twitter.
“If you are reading this then the surgery did not go well,” it begins. “I’m sorry, I tried my best to beat this terrible disease but I guess God had other things for me to do.”
Hannah says her mum wrote all of her loved ones letters before she died. “This is mine,” Hannah tweeted. “Please hug your parents a little closer and never take them for granted because you never know when you could lose them.”
Peggy’s letter –which has been shared by tens of thousands of people – starts by offering Hannah advice for dealing with her grief.
“Please don’t be mad, bad things happen in life and we have to learn to deal with it no matter how much it hurts … Be patient with dad, this is going to be hard on him and he will need time. You both need to lean on each other and talk a lot which is not one of our strong points but try and don’t give up.”
The rest of the letter is mostly advice for a young 18-year-old, like navigating college (“If you want to work in the summer fine but you need to really concentrate on school”), boys (“Not all boys are bad but most will tell you anything to try to get you to do things”), and life’s trials in general (“Use your common sense about things like not going anywhere by yourself and having an emergency kit in your car in the winter.”)
But it’s when Peggy starts talking about Hannah’s future that your heart will break.
“If you have kids someday make sure they know how much I love them and wanted to be there to see them. You are going to do great in life and I will be smiling with you through all the important moments in your life.”
You can read the letter in full below.
Pretty much everyone who read Peggy’s letter has been moved to tears.
https://twitter.com/mattoots/status/926083870880964610
https://twitter.com/dfreshmode/status/926011799933243392
@girlsreallyrule I lost my mama last week. You are never ready or old enough to lose your mother. So sorry for your loss. Sending you ❤️🙏.
— Elizabeth Thorp (@ElizabethEThorp) November 3, 2017
I am crying my eyeballs out at work rn 😭❤️ https://t.co/9So9gZ7zhT
— A. (@MALxox__) November 3, 2017
Idk why I’m literally crying in the club rn https://t.co/ipYnZYN9lQ
— Madison🚀 (@maddyy0913) November 3, 2017
https://twitter.com/thetots93/status/926255564757254144
“Twitter is amazing,” Hannah said in response to her letter going viral. “I’ve had so many people from all over the world message me saying they’re praying for me or sharing their own stories of losing a parent. Thank you thank you thank you. My heart is so full. It’s amazing to se how many lives mom’s words have touched.”
If you’re lucky enough to still have your mum and/or dad, give them a huge giant hug when you see them next.
before my mom passed she wrote us all letters. this is mine. please hug your parents a little closer and never take them for granted because you never know when you could lose them. I love you momma. 💗 pic.twitter.com/e2TZtg92bK
— hannah summers (@_hannahsummers) November 1, 2017
