pinkytoe,
Thank you for sharing that story. I feel sad about the manner of your mom's death. I would fight against the tendency to regret it.
Edith Piaf encore regrette rien … originally her lost love, then addiction, then the bearded legionnaires' failed coup d'état in Algeria... now her song is an anthem for the ages.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpHAsb2XQOY