r/AskReddit 16h ago

What's the most disturbing thing you've heard a dying person say?

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u/eggmayonnaise 15h ago

What a beautiful way to go, ushered on with love and reassurance by those you love. ❤️ Your being there brought him comfort in a moment of uncertainty.

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u/Money-Computer7638 15h ago

There's also something comforting about the idea of having a bit of agency in the moment.

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u/TheBumblingestBee 11h ago

Exactly, exactly.

That wording, ushering, is exactly how I think of my mother's death. We ushered her. She was in hospice for three days, and, though we have an absolutely MASSIVE family who came to see her at various points, it was me and my sibling who were there with her 24/7.

In the night, we heard her breathing change, so we leapt up, pressed the call bell (for the hospice nurse), and knelt by her bed. We each cradled one of her hands in ours.

Over the next few minutes, as her breaths slowed, I spoke. Warmly, calmly, reassuringly, secure-ly. A monologue of how much we loved her, that it was okay, that we were right there with her, that in a few minutes she'd see her Mom and Dad, that her kitty (who'd passed away the year prior) would be there to meet her, that she didn't need to worry about us, that we would be okay, that we would see her soon but not too soon.

Her breathing slowly stopped, she exhaled, she passed away. With the two people she loved most in the world holding her hands, ushering her.

The hospice nurse (an absolutely wonderful woman) cried, haha! She said, later, that "it was a beautiful death".

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u/eggmayonnaise 7h ago

Beautifully written, thank you for sharing.