The death of a loved one can be one of the hardest challenges. It’s particularly difficult for children to grapple with the loss, as they may not understand death and are confused when people they love suddenly leave them forever.
In this story circulated on the internet in 2016, a little boy from San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, the Philippines, could not fathom why his mother wasn’t sleeping beside him but rather in the coffin.
Five-year-old Khayne Kheian Naelgas Castro was taken to his mother’s funeral, for she had just passed away shortly after giving birth to his little brother.
The little boy was wondering where his mom, Kaye Angeles Naelgas-Castro, was. Then he found her, seemingly asleep, inside a white coffin. He just could not comprehend what had happened to his mom and asked why his mom was not sleeping beside him.
Khayne pulled up a chair to hug her coffin and gazed down upon his mother, asking: “Why is Mama not sleeping beside me?” Relatives attending the funeral were at a loss for how to explain to him that his mother had passed away while giving birth to his new brother.
Khayne’s grandmother, Marichu Gabriel, snapped photos of Khayne resting his head on the coffin and posted them on Facebook.
In another heart-wrenching post, Gabriel shared photos of a sad-looking Khayne sitting beside his mom’s coffin, apparently mourning the loss.
According to Gabriel, Khayne’s newborn brother, Cyril Khayzer, was also fighting for his life. The baby boy was rushed to a bigger hospital outside their municipality after his mom drew her last breath.
Fortunately, the infant survived and returned home weeks later.
A month later, Gabriel shared another sad post about her grandson, who was still grieving over his mother’s death.
She wrote: “I slept with this boy last night. He embraced me all the time while sleeping. In the morning, he woke up and silently stared at me... And i asked why??
“Buhay ka na ulit mama...?”' (Are you alive again mama? ) .. And i was silent... Only tears.... Again..Kaye your boy misses you so much... How i wish you can stay with him again..”
Our deepest sympathies go out to Khayne and his family.
In the Philippines, maternal deaths during childbirth are not uncommon. In 2014, the mortality rate for mothers giving birth—hemorrhaging being one of the main causes—was 99 in every 100,000 births. In contrast, some countries with well-developed healthcare systems such as Japan and Spain have only 4–5 maternal deaths for every 100,000 births; while in war-torn South Sudan, the rate is a frightening 2,054 deaths.
This tragic scene at Khayne’s mom’s funeral reminds us just how common these incidents are in the Philippines and many other countries. We hope all mothers are able to watch their kids grow up and still be around to spoil their grandchildren.
