Helene Ayoub had a long life, a long illness and a long death. She was a brave woman, even daring in her youth, and did not shy away from any adventure. She followed her love for my father Karim to Iraq. There, she experienced and survived three revolutions before she escaped back to her homeland. She loved her freedom and her independence more than anything, and yet had to endure being completely dependent on outside help due to her illness. She never complained. She was the most uncompromising person you can imagine, which didn’t always make dealing with her easy. She didn’t know about pretense. Her dream to become a singer did not come true, but the memory of her melodious voice and the songs she sang for us will remain. Also, her cleverness, her wit, her inner strength. Rest in peace, dear Mama.