When Neomi Machado was eight years old, a traumatic brain injury triggered the sudden onset of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a chronic autoimmune disease that causes the body’s immune system to attack healthy tissue. The doctors warned she wouldn’t live to see her teenage years.
Neomi, however, was a fighter.
Lupus destroyed Neomi’s kidneys, and she spent years on dialysis before receiving a kidney transplant from her sister Maria. Neomi lost most of her eyesight. She developed thrombocytopenia, so her blood wouldn’t clot properly. The lupus caused osteoporosis. She even developed bladder cancer, requiring her to have a nephrostomy and colostomy.
Throughout all these monumental challenges, Neomi remained a caring and loving person. She hosted the family’s gatherings. She was a second mom to her many nieces and nephews. Neomi was known for checking up on everyone, and she was famous for always saying, “Be careful!”
At fifty-four years old, Neomi had proven her childhood doctors very, very wrong. But she was nearing the end of her lifelong battle with lupus.
Neomi’s brother Rob and his sisters realized Neomi’s time on earth was coming to a close. Before they could truly let her go, the siblings needed to know what wish they could grant for Neomi.
For those of us who have lived in relative health, it’s hard to imagine what we would dream of after a lifetime of illness, hospitals, medications, and limitations. An exotic vacation? Lavish pampering? A thrill-seeking experience?
Neomi wished for a picnic.
It seemed too simple. “How have you never been on a picnic?” asked her brother. She explained that she was always at a doctor’s office, and her husband was always working. This dream was simple, but, in Rob’s words, “It meant something big to Neomi.”
The siblings secretly went to work on this surprise for their beloved sister. They ordered a picnic basket. They gathered a list of her favorite foods. They made a playlist of songs from her younger days. And they searched out a beautiful but private spot—The Willows Event Center garden.
One beautiful morning in May, Neomi felt good enough that Rob and his sisters were able to proceed with their surprise. They picked up fried chicken from Amigos, sweet tea from Chicken Express, and cookies from Chick-fil-A. They put together a beautiful picnic scene on the lawn in the garden, complete with balloons and flowers.
Neomi entered the garden on her motorized wheelchair accompanied by Abel, her husband of thirty-three years.
“She came to life. Nothing else mattered. She was in her own little fairy tale.”
– Noelia Machado
Neomi watched the fish, listened to the birds, enjoyed her favorite foods, and cuddled up to her husband. Her dream had come true.
Just one week later, Neomi’s family members were finally able to let her go. She passed away at home, surrounded by her loving family, just like she wanted.
Rob, Noelia, and the rest of the family miss Neomi terribly, but they’re grateful to have granted her lifelong wish.
When most of us think of our beautiful garden at the home office, we think of pleasant one-on-ones or midday walks around the pond. For Neomi, however, the garden was where she experienced the love of her family, the peace of her Creator, and the earthly reward at the end of a difficult life well-lived.
