Man's mom recorded a message for him in 1992 before dying of cancer–when he shared it 32 years later, it blew up
Losing a parent as a child is like losing a part of yourself before you ever fully understand what that part was. Alex Dyson, a radio presenter, was only four years old when his mother, Helen Jean Dyson, passed away from breast cancer in 1992. But before she passed, Helen recorded a cassette tape for her children. Before this, Alex had only listened to it once, per LiSTNR Entertainment. Now, ahead of Mother’s Day, he decided to share it publicly for the first time on his podcast, "Matt & Alex – All Day Breakfast."
"What I’m about to play for you is probably the most personal piece of audio imaginable. I myself have only listened to it one time," Alex said as the podcast began. As the recording started playing, Helen's voice echoed through the room, "It’s the 22nd of November 1992." She explained why she was making the tape, saying, "I’ve been meaning to start this tape for some time now. It’s been a difficult year for us as a family, and I wanted to talk to you about what’s been happening in case I’m not around to see you grow into adulthood."
She talked about her diagnosis and how things had changed, saying, "Since then, it’s been a trying time for us, and now, there’s more lumps appeared in the lymph nodes. So all in all, it’s been a hard time, and you two have been great, really coping with all the changes." She continued, "Prior to this illness, we were just about always together, and you didn’t usually want to leave me and go and play anywhere else, or you wanted me to come too. And, now you’re quite happy to go off without me, which for me is sad in a way, but it’s good that how well you’ve adapted."
She also expressed her fear, saying, "I just want to say how much I love you both and how scared I am that I’m not going to be able to be with you and that you won’t remember me." She explained that she would do her best to stay alive and watch her children grow up. "I’m afraid that I’ll be—won’t be feeling very well for Christmas, and I’ll be missing it, and maybe it’ll be our last Christmas, so it’s a great fear for me. I haven’t come to terms with that yet," she explained. Doctors had already told her the cancer would likely return. Still, she wanted to leave them with something positive.
"I want to say that you’re wonderful children, that—and you really are the joy of our lives," she concluded. At the end of the recording, a young 4-year-old Alex’s voice could be heard introducing himself and singing "Humpty Dumpty." When the recording stopped, Alex took a moment before expressing, "I don’t know her voice. I’ve got no memory or concept of hearing it. It’s just—bang, hit me." But more than anything, he admired how strong she had been, saying, "Oh, the strength of my mom to be able to turn that on and talk about that as well as she did was miraculous." Before ending the show, Alex had one last message for listeners. He said, "Go out, give your family a hug, give your friends a hug."