people who believed survival depended partly on never asking too much of anyone. Her parents had arrived in the United States with almost nothing, and the lesson they passed to her was simple: work hard, endure quietly, and never become someone else’s burden.
She carried that lesson so faithfully that even illness could not persuade her she deserved care without apology. I understood where it came from, but understanding it did not make watching it easier. Every “sorry” sounded like proof that she still believed love had to be earned
