The Inspirational Story of Kaye and Edwarda O'Bara

Happy Mother's Day!

Since today is Mother's Day, I thought I share with you a very touching story of Kaye and Edwarda O'bara. Imagine yourself never being able to sleep in your bed for 39 years, never going to a mall or a movie, have dinner with friends, no career because you can't work, no money because the medical bills exceeds your income by US$2K every month. Further imagine yourself having to feed your daughter every two hours, twenty four hours a day, every four hours taking the blood sugar levels and then administering insulin depending on the readings.  Imagine the husband having a conversation with you said, I can no longer standing by watching, while our finance are drained, not able to do anything. I am going to heaven to work from there and the next day dying of a massive heart attack. When that happened, Edwarda's other sister become a crack cocaine addict and living on the streets and having her own little baby that is being raised by you.  Imagine all these things happening to you.

Edwarda O'Bara was a vivacious sixteen-year-old and a mild diabetic. During the early morning hours of January 3rd, 1970, Edwarda woke up shaking and in great pain because the oral form of insulin she had been taking wasn't reaching her blood stream. Edwarda was rushed to the hospital emergency room and as she lay in her hospital bed sliding in and out of consciousness she turned to her mother Kaye and said, "Promise you won't leave me, will you, Mommy?" Kaye looked at her frightened daughter and said, "Of course not, I would never leave you, darling, I promise. And a promise is a promise!" Those were the last words that were exchanged before Edwarda quietly slipped into a diabetic coma.

For the past 39 years, Edwarda has lived her life in a coma, and Kaye has lived her promise of never leaving her daughter's side. Kaye has kept a vigil at Edwarda's bedside, caring for her every two hours, twenty-four hours a day, for the past 38 years! She has maintained this grueling pace and during these 38 years has not slept for more than 90 minutes at a time. As a devoted mother, Kaye chose not to institutionalize Edwarda, but rather to care for her at home and assume the tremendous financial burden that accompanies personally caring for a comatose child.

Unfortunately, Kaye passed away March 7th 2008 and now her younger daughter Colleen cares for her sister Edwarda till she wakes up. HOPE NEVER DIES.

This is truly one of the greatest story of unconditional love of a mother have for a child.