Sisters who lost their mom to cancer film a hilarious ‘confessions’ video in her honor – laying bare all the mistakes they’ve made without her around to help them
Two sisters who lost their mother to pancreatic cancer have turned their grief into joy by sharing a hilarious video in which they express all the ‘confessions’ they have to share with their late mother.
Katie Riggins, 33, and Sara Wollner, 30, lost their 63-year-old mother Karen to pancreatic cancer last year — and now they’ve found a unique way to express how much they miss her by sharing the many mistakes they’ve made without her there to guide them.
‘Confessions to our late mother,’ the sisters captioned the video, which has been viewed more than 20.6 million times.
Katie and Sara, who also have an older sister, Megan Dixon, were raised by their mother after their father died at a young age.
Katie Riggins (left) and Sara Wollner (right) shared their hilarious confession video on TikTok, sharing things their mother has missed since she passed away
Their mother Karen (right) died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 63. Katie and Sarah are pictured with their older sister Megan Dixon
In honor of Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month in November, they recorded the post-deathbed confession session.
“So our mom died a little over a year ago and these are some of the things we want to confess to her that have happened since she died,” Sara begins the TikTok.
“First of all, we didn’t know we had to file your taxes,” she began, as the women burst into hysterical laughter.
“No,” Katie added as they both continued to giggle uncontrollably.
“I didn’t know I had to get my own (car) insurance… (I drove) an uninsured car for seven months and then I suspended your license plates – and mine,” she continued. “So I couldn’t drive either car.”
“We know you’ve had the same license plate for years, so RIP to AZK or whatever the numbers were,” Sara added.
“And for you, Mom,” Katie added.
Sara then confessed that she had to miss her older sister’s baby shower because she had such a bad stomach virus, and Katie had to organize it alone.
“Megan was a good sport, though,” Sara added. ‘Sorry about that.’
Katie admitted she tried to do a charity walk for cancer but couldn’t complete it.
“And I think I broke my foot,” she added.
By popular demand, the sisters made a part 2 of their hilarious confessions
The three sisters were raised by Karen, a single mother, after their father died when they were young (Sara, Katie and Megan photo)
The women said that their mother would have wanted them to have a sense of humor, and that she was very funny herself
They ended the viral video where Sara confessed why she didn’t cry at her mother’s funeral.
“It’s because I was so pregnant that if I had cried, I would have thrown up,” she said, as the women squealed with laughter.
The clip blew up and the nurse was amazed at how many people watched (and viewed) the TikTok.
“We wanted to give a glimpse into our reality of trying to live our lives without our mother,” Sara explained to DaillyMail.com. ‘I think many people who lose their parents at a young age feel isolated and insecure towards others who are in the same situation.’
“I think we’ve struck a chord with a lot of people – so many people have suffered significant loss in their lives and you don’t see that being talked about much on social media,” Sara reflected.
She continued, “I think we’ve really started to create a community and a corner on the internet where people can connect and laugh with others through their grieving process.”
The video was so popular that the sisters made a second video, with confessions including accidentally breaking their mother’s “really nice Dyson vacuum cleaner” and forgetting to put a name on her gravestone.
“We didn’t know that the funeral home wasn’t responsible for putting your name on your gravestone, so we had to find someone we could call to do that for you,” Katie said with a laugh.
The video gathered thousands of comments from users, many of whom were dealing with similar feelings of sadness
The sister also explained why they leisurely went to the mall on the day of their mother’s funeral.
“It’s because we literally didn’t know what to do with our time,” Sara admitted.
“But then we realized at the mall that none of us had called the funeral home,” she recalls. “So I called and answered that call in the middle of the mall.”
The sister’s viewers (and Karen) assured that there will be many more stories to come and that they will soon include their older sister in their confessions.
“And for Mom, this goes to you. We will, as Katie said, continue to disappoint you as time goes on. I love you,” Sara joked.
The sisters said laughter has always been a big part of their family, and a sense of humor was important to their mother.
“(Mom) would definitely shake her head and be in a fit of laughter,” Sara said.
“We told our mom everything and she was by far our biggest supporter and best friend,” she continued. “So if she was here, she would be laughing and enjoying it with everyone!”
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Thousands of TikTok viewers commented on the post, many thanking the women for their refreshing video.
“Oh man. My mother passed away in July. I had NO IDEA how much I needed this message,” one viewer wrote.
‘My mother died in April. Thank you, I needed this laugh,” another added. “(Note to self: file taxes next year.”
“I lost my mother over a year and a half ago and I have been very depressed, BUT seeing this video and your perspective is so refreshing and heartwarming,” one TikTok user wrote.
‘My mother passed away on October 15 and I hope to be able to smile like that again soon!’ another wrote hopefully. ‘My mother was always smiling and laughing! She would love this!’
For Sara and Katie, they are happy when they can make some people happy.
“If we can put a smile or a laugh on someone’s face who is going through something similar, we think that’s a win,” Sara said.