Her mom died before they could reconcile. Years later, a letter revealed the truth she never knew (Exclusive)

Trigger Warning: This article contains a mention of Domestic Violence that some readers might find distressing. 

Leaving things unsaid or conflict unresolved with deceased loved ones is a shattering guilt to weather. A woman who goes by u/SketchyKYR shared a post on January 17 about how she tried to fix things with her mother before she passed away. The mom lost her battle to tongue cancer in 2026, and for over five years, her daughter held the pain of not having the best relationship with her. The woman recently freed herself from a domestic violence situation and stumbled upon a letter from her late mom. In an exclusive interview with Scoop Upworthy, the woman, who goes by the name Kylea Riffle, shared that when she first received the letter in 2019, she didn't know how meaningful it would become years later.

Riffle mentioned that her mom had Squamous Cell Carcinoma. She revealed that despite doing everything she could in the last six months of her mother’s life, she felt like she didn’t do enough. “I still feel like I failed her,” she remarked. “We went through so much, and it got to the point where my anxiety and PTSD symptoms were causing issues in our relationship. At times, she was emotionally unavailable, and I couldn’t tell if she really heard me out when it came to how I was feeling,” she revealed. As she held this thought with no answers, she finally found a letter that became a soothing closure. "When I’d first received the letter, I believed she was just trying to make me feel better in the moment, and nothing further than that," she told Scoop. “I know life has not been easy,” the mom began.

The mother noted how the time went by in ways they never expected. Nevertheless, she was proud that her daughter was able to accept and speak up about her issues. “I want to commend you on realizing that you have things going on with you. Now you need to find that bravery to trust we are okay and that you can mentally relax,” she added. Riffle pointed to two lines that now mean the most to her: “Feel confident that if it is needed, we will stand strong and survive as we always have, sweetie,” and “See life in the good, you can’t without the bad.”  She said her mom always found ways to remember “how wonderful life could be,” even when she herself could only see fear and trauma. “That is why it's so important that you do. I know you can't see it but we do love you. We just get scared for you. I love you,” the mom concluded.

Riffle told Scoop Upworthy that she now realizes, “I just was so entrapped in grief that I didn’t fully absorb what she’d meant until recently.” Riffle explained that watching her mother deteriorate so quickly made her believe she “wasn’t enough,” since she had taken on caregiving without any experience and constantly feared she was “making her suffer alongside cancer.” However, she soon realized her mother "appreciated" whatever she did for her, adding that during a hospital visit, her mother pulled her arm and kissed her cheek, “which she’d never done” before. Since the letter had been found, Riffle also made a sketch of her mother, which she shared with Scoop. 

The mother assured her daughter that she had done enough and that she was proud. Reading those words pushed Riffle to remember that they were warriors. They had been through hell before and came back stronger, and every word her mother penned was a lesson from something they witnessed. “Now, I understand that she just wanted me to be happy, and to know that no matter what, we’ll figure things out. We will be okay,” she affirmed. Caring for a mom, knowing she is chronically ill and won’t make it, can be heartbreakingly stressful. 

According to research by Asres Bedaso, Getiye Dejenu, and Bereket Duko in the National Library of Medicine, a study conducted on family caregivers of cancer patients in home palliative care revealed 50% suffered from psychological distress. Numbers from a global review showed 42.3% of family caregivers of cancer patients suffered from depression and 46.55% from anxiety. Receiving that reassurance in the form of a letter brought relief like no other.

“This is the one piece from her that I will cherish forever,” the daughter remarked, assuring her mom, wherever she might be, that she will be okay. She also told Scoop that leaving her domestic violence situation helped her finally understand why her mom reacted so strongly to her struggles, adding, “She didn’t want me to give up…it was her way of saying, ‘I made it out, you can, too.’” She added that the letter “culminates all of that into one,” and she now holds it close.

Her story made a lot of people emotional. u/Rich-Weight5742 said, “This broke me in the best way. That card showing up right after you got out of the DV situation feels like she’s still watching out for you and your sister.” u/UnitedScratch-2132 added, “You didn't fail her, you cared for her, and that is not always something easy to do, but you did it.” 

If you are being subjected to domestic abuse or know of anyone else who is, please visit The National Domestic Violence Hotline website or call 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788.

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This article originally appeared 1 month ago.