A mother’s love, a lasting protection: how one family found strength through preparedness

There is one question no child ever wants to ask, and no mother can easily answer: How far can a mother’s love prepare her children for a future without her?

For Ransie Mayuga, the answer was found not only in the life she gave her children, but in the protection she quietly put in place long before they would understand its value.

This is the story of a mother who faced breast cancer with courage, and of how her love continued to guide her family even after she was gone.

For her eldest daughter, Reysiel May de Sagun, now 33, the memory of her mother remains vivid. Being the eldest among three siblings, Reysiel shared that she and her mother had a bond built on warmth and friendship.

“Yung relationship namin is [ay] masasabi kong parang mag best friend kami.”
“Si Mama kasi, cool mom ‘yan eh,” she said with a smile.

 “Siya ‘yung klase ng mother na makakausap mo pag dating sa kahit anong bagay.”

Her mother was someone she could share anything with, even personal matters. Their relationship, Reysiel recalled, was one rooted in openness and unconditional support.

Years before illness entered their lives, Ransie had become the first in their family to secure insurance. A friend who was a Pru Life UK insurance agent had introduced her to a policy. At the time, she may not have fully realized how meaningful that decision would become but she trusted the value of being prepared and completed paying her policy.

That decision would later become one of the greatest gifts she left her children.

Even before her diagnosis, the benefits from her policy had already helped the family build something meaningful: a grocery store, one of Ransie’s dreams for their future. They named it “3Coletz”.

Then in 2016, everything changed. Ransie noticed a small lump in her breast. Reysiel urged her to have it checked. Initial consultations did not reveal anything alarming, but after seeking a second opinion, the family received devastating news: it was Stage 3 aggressive breast cancer, requiring immediate treatment, including chemotherapy and radiation.

For Reysiel, fear arrived all at once.

“Nung sinabi ng doctor ‘yun, hindi ko alam kung ano ang itatanong ko… Paano na kami? Paano ang pagpapagamot mo, Ma? Sino ang lalapitan natin? Sino ang pwedeng hingan ng tulong?”

Like many families facing a serious illness, they were suddenly carrying not only emotional pain, but the weight of uncertainty.

In the middle of that difficult season, Ransie remembered her insurance policy with Pru Life UK. She contacted their insurance agent, and soon the family learned they could receive financial assistance through their claim.

For Reysiel, it brought relief at a time when they needed it most. The emotional toll of critical illness was already overwhelming, she said. To face it without financial support would have made the burden even heavier. Through that assistance, the family was able to focus more on Ransie’s care and less on how they would survive each day.

Sadly, Ransie passed away later that same year.

Her loss left a deep void. Reysiel suddenly found herself carrying responsibilities she never expected to bear so soon. She worried about how to rebuild their lives, how to support her younger brothers, and how to move forward without the woman who had always held them together. One brother was still studying. Another had paused his education to help care for their mother.

Then, a month after Ransie’s passing, Reysiel discovered something extraordinary.

She found her mother’s logbook. The notebook Ransie always kept beside her for reminders and daily to-do lists. Hoping to find unfinished plans or simple notes, Reysiel opened it.

Inside were letters. Written a month before she passed, Ransie had left personal messages for each of her children. The notebook also contained practical guidance. A list of properties, reminders on how to manage expenses, and instructions to help her children if they ever felt lost.

And there was one more revelation.

Ransie had also listed insurance policies from Pru Life UK, not only her own, but policies she had secured for all three of her children. Even in her final days, she had continued preparing for their future.

INQUIRER.net asked Reysiel why she believed her mother did it, she answered simply: no one is exempt from illness, accidents, or financial hardship. It is always better to be prepared.

Reysiel also recalled how smooth the claims process was during one of the most painful moments of their lives. Documents were submitted only once, and their insurance agent  remained present throughout the process, guiding the family, explaining each step clearly, and offering support beyond transactions. For Reysiel, that compassion mattered just as much as the financial help.

This Mother’s Day, Reysiel’s story is a reminder that a mother’s love often lives in the quiet things: in guidance, in sacrifice, in the plans made long before they are needed.

Through foresight and protection, Ransie Mayuga gave her children more than financial support. She gave them stability, dignity, and a way forward.

And through moments like these, Pru Life UK continues to stand beside Filipino families. Not only in times of celebration, but in life’s most difficult chapters, helping protect what matters most today, tomorrow, and for generations to come.

As published on the Philippine Daily Inquirer online and newspaper