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I was honored to help hospice my Mother last September. She had little mental capacity due to the advancement of Alzheimers, but I could always make her laugh. Due to a fall and complications she decided that she did not want anymore food or water. In the final 13 days of her life she was never alone and the hospice providers were magnificent in there guidance for all of her children. There was never a day that went by when I would question if I could make it out to see her. I was filled with anxiety about seeing my best friend and mother leave me like the tide going out to sea. But when I walked into her room my soul was washed over by a wave of love and deep connection. We wondered how she could hold on so long and decided that she was waiting for my brother, who lived in Montreal. I called him and it took him 5 days to arrive. On the day that my Mom passed she was unresponsive. However, when my brother arrived at 2:00 PM, he talked to her and said she could let go. We sang and read poetry and prayers and my beautiful Mother slipped away within an hour after his arrival. I know that she could feel that her 4 children were there and though I will never forget my own anguish at the final moment of her passing, I would have regretted not having been there. I want to encourage anyone that has the opportunity to hospice or share in a loved ones final days, to find the power within and spend those final moments if you can, you will not regret it.

posted 5 years, 2 months ago
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