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If you had one last opportunity to speak to a loved one who is no longer here, what would you tell them? Chances are it might be different to what two sisters from Albany, New York, chose to say. A year on from losing their mom, the pair have delighted the internet with their hilarious confessions that they wish they could tell her now.

Sara Wollner, 30, and her sister Katie Riggins, 33, have had to deal with the loss of their mom, Karen Riggins, who passed in July 2022 from pancreatic cancer. Although the sisters would surely give anything to speak to their mom one final time, instead they came up with a list of confessions that they'd tell her and shared the special moment on social media.

"It truly felt like we were on a FaceTime call with her, chatting and laughing like we would have done if she was still here today," Wollner told Newsweek. Among the things they wanted to confess to their late mother, the sisters joked about not realizing they had to file taxes or get their own car insurance policies. They even admitted to not crying at her funeral.

Not only was it an incredibly cathartic experience for the sisters, but social media users couldn't get enough of their honesty either. The clip of Wollner and Riggins crying tears of laughter went viral on TikTok (@sarawollner) and it's already been viewed more than 22 million times and has received 3.5 million likes.

Wollner continued: "We've always navigated life's challenges with humor, so this only felt right for us. I think managing day to day without your parents at such a young age is really difficult so we wanted to shed some light on that for others who may be experiencing similar journeys.

"We told each other everything, and our mom was our biggest supporter so if she was here, these would have been conversations that we actually had with her."

People will think of grief as a dark and oppressive experience, and two sisters talking about losing their mom might not sound like the funniest of concepts. But Wollner wanted to show people that not every second has to be so enduring, and there can also be plenty of laughter too.

Their mother's passing has undoubtedly been a profound loss, but the sisters found so much love and joy in creating the confession video, and they've since decided to turn it into an ongoing series called Konfessions to Kare.

"The outpouring of support and comfort has been amazing," Wollner said. "I've heard from hundreds of people who have lost loved ones and can relate to navigating life without them. I've also heard from a lot of people who are facing a tremendous loss in their lives and this video brought them comfort and joy, which we can all benefit from in such difficult times."

Among the 39,500 comments on the viral "confessions to our dead mom" video, many people shared their own experiences of loss, and some even gave their own confessions to join in the fun.

One comment reads: "As a mom who had cancer and also a chaotic daughter, I love you both so much. Obviously, your mom was fabulous to raise you two."

Another person responded: "Lost my mom just over a year ago and this made me laugh so hard. Reminds me to laugh through the sorrow. Thank you!"

"This stage of grief is the sweetest," another TikTok user wrote.

If you have a family dilemma, let us know via life@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

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