'I'm Not Your Real Mom,' Paralyzed Lady Says to Son Who Tends to Her for 13 Years — Story of the Day

When Jessica reveals a difficult truth to her son, Richard, she fears losing him forever. But he sticks by her side regardless, and their bond grows even tighter.

All Richard knew about his mother and father's relationship was that he treated her poorly. Beyond that, Richard only ever cared about his mother's well-being.

She always believed in tough love, and as a child, Richard felt that she could be mean at times. But he reached his teenage years, Richard realized that she only ever wanted the best for him. "You're not gonna end up being a deadbeat like your daddy," Jessica told him.

As he got older, Richard realized that his mother had always dreamed of being a musician but decided to take a steady job so that she could take care of him. Jessica had always taken him to watch their town's local orchestra play. He made a choice to take care of her no matter what.

"Hey, mom. Can we watch that old video together? The one where you were teaching me how to walk?" Richard asked on his 16th birthday. "Sure thing, kid. Did you forget how?" Jessica joked.

"I just wanted to finally make her dream come true."

Together they sat and watched the video for what must have been the 100th time. Little did they know the significance it would have years later. Because of the way he grew up, Richard worked tooth and nail to make sure that he got himself and his mother into a better neighborhood.

He got straight As in school and managed to earn a scholarship to a great college just out of town. He ended up becoming a financial advisor and earned a steady salary. Everyone at his company respected his work ethic, but he always kept to himself at the office.

One day, Richard received a call from a number he didn't recognize."Hi, is this Jessica's son?" a woman asked him."Yes, this is Richard. What's wrong?" He replied.

"Your mother had a stroke at home. Once you can, please come to the hospital," the nurse told him. Richard immediately left the office to be at his mother's side. The doctor let him know that Jessica would need extensive treatment and constant attention to make a full recovery.

Richard immediately applied for leave from work and spent every day tending to his mother's needs. Her stroke had left her paralyzed from the waist down, and although he had the means, Richard refused to hire a stay-in nurse for his mother. He didn't want his mother to think that he would abandon her in her time of need.

"I'm gonna take care of you, whether you like it or not," he told his mother.

Richard's wife, Leah, became frustrated with his absence and threatened to leave him. "I have something to show you, Leah. I know I've spent a lot of time taking care of my mom, but just watch this," Richard pleaded.

He then showed her the video of his mother teaching him how to walk.

"I'm all she's got," Richard told her. He and Leah cried together as they watched the video. Richard explained that because his mother raised him alone, he felt that he owed her a debt.

He would always give everything to his family because of how hard his mother worked. Jessica gave up her dreams for Richard's sake, and he would do the same for her regardless of the cost. Leah realized that Richard was working himself to the bone to provide not only for her but his mother's medical bills as well.

"I don't know how long I have left, so it's time that you learned the truth."

"I'm with you no matter what, Richard. I just thought that I was losing you. But I see now that you're working for all of us," Leah told him. They decided to move into his mother's home so that they take care of her together. This allowed Richard to return to work as he could split time with Leah.

They had to teach Jessica how to walk again. Things became difficult when Leah fell pregnant, but they soldiered through. Jessica was always grateful for how hard her son worked. She knew that he didn't ever ask why it was so difficult for them growing up.

He never even asked about his father. The day after Richard and Leah's son, Freddy, turned one, Jessica suffered a second stroke. Fearing for her life, Jessica decided that she needed to reveal a secret that she had been keeping from Richard.

"I don't know how long I have left, so it's time that you learned the truth. I was always so hard on you, but you never complained. This is the hardest thing I've ever had to tell you, but I'm not your real mother," Jessica told Richard.

"What do you mean?" Richard replied.

"You won't remember this because you were still a child. But your nanny, Elizabeth, was actually your birth mother. Your father, Anthony, cheated on me with her. I decided to raise you as my own. After Elizabeth was killed in a car accident, I left your father. I'm sorry that I kept this from you for all of these years. I just didn't know if you would still love me," Jessica told him.

Richard began to cry as Jessica told her story. After a few minutes, Richard replied, "You're the only mother I've ever known. That hasn't changed at all. I'll always love you the same."

After they took her home from the hospital, the entire family watched the timeless video of Jessica teaching Richard how to walk. Years later, Richard saved up enough money to buy his mother a piano, but when he returned home, Leah told him that Jessica had passed away in her sleep.

Devastated, Richard told Leah, "I just wanted to finally make her dream come true."

When Freddy turned 6, he began to play the piano that Richard had purchased for Jessica. Freddy joined a youth orchestra and played at the same theatre that Jessica had always taken Richard to watch.

What can we learn from this story?

• Family is family, no matter what. Jessica was worried that Richard wouldn't love her as much because she wasn't his birth mother, but their relationship was far deeper than she thought.
• Always stick with the people you love most. Leah wanted to leave Richard because he was so focused on taking care of Jessica, but she soon realized that he was trying his hardest to take care of his family.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a woman who never knew her parents and pushed her biological mother away.

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