[Filming Record: March 4th, 2025]
“Are you sure you want to stop treatment?”
Taylor blocked the door, stopping me from
packing.
“The doctor said there’s not much chance.”
I smiled.
“Instead of spending my last days in a hospital, I want to do what I want.”
“I wasted so much of their money trying to
save me.”
Taylor knelt down and hugged me.
“Don’t apologize. We’re sorry, we didn’t save
you.”
“What do you want to do? I’ll do it with you!”
The camera switched to a shopping mall.
I was looking at the gifts.
“It’s Mom’s birthday next month. Her back always hurts, so I’m getting her a back
massager.”
I put the money down and wrote on the card.
The camera tried to show what I was writing,
but I blocked it.
“No peeking! It’s a secret.”
[Filming Record: March 6th, 2025]
The camera showed a piece of paper.
[Riley’s Bucket List: 1. Go to a Starry Night
concert. 2. Plan my funeral. 3. See the
ocean.]
Taylor said, “Starry Night is your dad’s
favorite singer, why do you want to go?”
“When I was little, Dad would sing Starry Night songs to put me to sleep.”
“Dad never saw him in concert, so I want to do it for him.”
I put Star stickers on my face and put Dad’s photo in my pocket.
I turned and nudged Taylor, who was trying to
copy my sticker.
“Let’s go. We’re going to be late.”
The concert was wild.
I held onto Taylor’s hand and waved my light
stick, singing along.
L
You couldn’t tell that I was sick.
I almost fell a few times, and I leaned on Taylor.
At the end, streamers fell from the ceiling.
Everyone closed their eyes and wished.
I shouted, “Mom! Dad! I love you!”
Even after the concert, I was pumped.
“Taylor, it feels so unreal.”
“I forgot I was sick. I felt so alive.”
“I should have brought Dad. Maybe he would
not have gone so soon…‘
Taylor didn’t answer.
She turned away to wipe her eyes.
[Filming Record: March 10th, 2025]
I picked out a photo for my memorial.
The camera was pointed at my photo on the
screen.
It was my voice.
“Can you make my face fatter? I look so
skinny.”
“Fix my eyes. They’re so uneven.”
“And get rid of all those spots. I never had
After the photo was touched up, I smiled.
“That’s better. Even when I’m a ghost, I’ll be
beautiful.”
Taylor’s eyes filled with tears.
“Riley…”
I hugged her and went to the cemetery.
I pointed to a plot.
“I like this one.”
Taylor bit her lip.
“Your dad’s is open. You could pick it and
you can rest with your dad.”
“It’s not about the money.”
I stared at her.
“I don’t know how long I have. I don’t want
Mom to see that I’m dying.”
Taylor looked away.
I put my arms around her.
“If you cry now, you can’t cry after I die.”
Taylor choked up.
“Please don’t die.”
I laughed.
!!!!!! talk to St Potor You can burn my body
L
“I’ll talk to St. Peter. You can burn my body
later.”
“How can you joke?”
Taylor turned around, her eyes red.
“Let’s go pick out the offerings.”
At the store, I stared at the offerings.
Taylor came to me with paper mansions and
a lot of gold paper bars.
“I will make you rich!”
I laughed.
I cried.
“Taylor, you are the best.”
[Filming Record: March 27th, 2025]
I was back in the hospital for a week. I was
finally able to walk.
I was at the beach.
“That joke was not funny!”
“We were so scared! If you do that again, you can’t leave the hospital!”
Taylor shouted.
I made an innocent expression.
“I didn’t want everyone to feel bad for me, so
I wanted to change the mood ”
“I promise I won’t do that again. Don’t be
mad.”
Taylor sighed.
“Okay.”
I wiped my tears and looked at the camera.
“Mom, I don’t know if you’ll ever see this.”
“But I tried so hard to fight cancer. I was
going to tell you when I got better.”
“But I’m not going to get better. The doctor
said it’s too late.”
“I don’t want to die. I’m afraid. I’m afraid I
won’t see you again. I’m afraid it will hurt.”
<
“I kept saying I wanted to give up because I
didn’t want to hear the bad news.”
“The chemo gave me hope, but it let me
down. This is too much.”
I cried. I ran away from the camera.
The camera stayed behind me, capturing my
back.
I came back with a coconut and talked while
drinking the juice.
“This is so good. I’ve had three today.”
“Taylor said this is the last one.”
“But I’m going to sneak…”
I started coughing up blood.
Everything became black.
[Filming Record: March 28th, 2025]
I was lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to
machines.
I tried to speak.
“Mom… Mom…”
Taylor leaned close, her tears landing on my
face.
“Do you want your mom?”
I kept repeating, “Mom…”
<
Taylor took out my phone and called Mom.
She put the phone to my ear.
“Riley?”
“Hello?”
“Say something!”
Hearing Mom’s voice, I teared up.
My heart stopped beating.
Taylor pressed the call button.
Doctors surrounded me.
Taylor called out.
く
“Riley, wake up! Your mom is on the phone!”
“Open your eyes! Don’t give up!”
The doctor told her that I had passed away.
Taylor grabbed the doctor’s hand.
“Please, try again! She doesn’t want to die!”
The doctor shook his head.
The call had ended.
Taylor cried and dialed again.
Mom’s voice started talking.
“Riley, what are you doing? Am I a joke to
you? I’ve called you so many times, and you keep hanging up.”
“Don’t you care about me? Why won’t you
save your dad?”
Taylor was about to speak.
A voice said, “Dr. Chen, patient in bed two is
hemorrhaging!”
The phone hung up.
The video ended.
Mom was pale. She squeezed the
microphone, her voice tight.
“What… what is going on?”
