“There are so many people out there unable to have their loved ones visit them at all. Knowing how scared and lonely this time may be for them just breaks my heart.”
‘Every night, we create these letters for hospice patients and nursing home residents who aren’t allowed visitors right now.’: Family share acts of kindness for ‘lonely’ elderly during pandemic
‘It’s okay for you to go now. You did such a good job fighting,’ I whispered. He nodded his head. As the sun went down, he stopped breathing.’: Hospice nurse shares touching last moments with dad diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma
“On his last day, I helped my dad pull off his last-minute wishes. He insisted on changing all the light bulbs in the house so my mom wouldn’t have to worry. This was his absolute priority. During a slow, quiet, final walk through Home Depot, my chest felt so heavy for him. I was holding my breath. Alone with him, I whispered, ‘You did such a good job fighting.’ Time was running out.”
‘I’m having a hard time finding the baby’s head,’ the doctor said. ‘Were you bit by a mosquito during pregnancy?’: Mom births miracle baby with microcephaly, ‘He brings us endless joy!’
“I went for my routine check-up with my OB. The vibe of the room felt off. My doctor asked, ‘Have you been out of the country while pregnant?’ So many questions went through my head all at once. Is my baby alive? Is he okay? How’s his head? How many fingers and toes does he have? I was already in love with him, but so scared. And then I felt it. ‘This baby isn’t going anywhere.'”
‘Do you think you’re dying?’ my husband asked. I couldn’t even hold my baby. ‘I don’t know, maybe?’: Woman beats breast cancer despite all odds, ‘I had one foot in eternity, I felt it’
“I had one foot in eternity, I felt it. With no prior treatment, the doctor looked at me and told me I was ‘too far gone’ and to get my affairs in order. I thought for sure this was the end of me. My husband and I rejected that answer.”
‘She took her last breath. Over 400 people showed at her funeral, even on the busiest day of the week. That is the legacy she had.’: Woman pens sweet tribute to mother, ‘we will never stop hoping to see you again’
“After losing my mom, I once again feel like that lost little girl in the department store, like the whole world has collapsed. Only this time, no amount of screaming, crying, begging will bring her back. Not a day goes by I don’t recall her. A taste, a smell, a word, a touch. When all else fails, I turn to the memories. But I literally cannot cry, cannot shed a single tear, without also smiling. THAT is the kind of love she left behind.”
‘Someone’s sitting here.’ I froze. ’Mom, it’s ME. Lauren.’ Her cheeks became red with embarrassment.’: Young woman’s emotional journey with mom’s Alzheimer’s, ‘It’s like mourning someone who is still alive’
“I said, ‘I love you,’ and she didn’t say it back. You lose so much of the person along the way that by the end, you are practically begging for them to die. But at the same time, you dread the thought of it. I say, ‘See ya later,’ and she says, ‘Alligator.’ You can’t tell me she’s not still in there.”
‘We’re losing her.’ Her body was getting colder. She started coughing with a gurgling sound.’: Husband describes ‘the worst day of his life’ saying ‘goodbye’ to his beloved 30-year-old wife dying of terminal cancer
“The nurse looked right at me. I knew our time was getting short. As she started getting weaker, I picked her up and carried her to bed. The hospice nurse told me to start talking to her, and not stop. ‘I love you. I love you so much. Thank you for being in my life,’ I kept telling her over and over. I wish I said more that evening. I only made 2 calls that night.”
‘Are we still getting married?,’ she looked at me in tears. She wanted to protect me.’: Man loses wife to stage 4 cancer months after wedding, ‘I have a huge hole in my heart’
“We had already chosen our wedding date. We had booked our venue, sent out save-the-dates. The doctors encouraged us to move it up, fearing the worst. But we decided no matter what, we weren’t changing it. 3 weeks before, she lost her hair again. ‘I fell in love with you when you were bald,’ I told her. She was absolutely stunning walking down the aisle. I felt like the luckiest person in the world. Right before her 30th birthday, we decided to give up all treatment and enjoy the time we had left.”
‘I can’t believe this is happening again.’ He held our daughter, tears down his cheeks. I knew deep in my soul.’: Wife says ‘It was the honor of my life to be married to him’ after husband dies of cancer
“Nick wasn’t ready to let go. His body was a 93-pound shell. Our daughter’s 6th birthday came. I pleaded with him to please try for her. To give her that day. He played games, he sang happy birthday, despite all his suffering. Less than a week later, I came home to find him nearly unconscious on the couch. I told him it was okay to let go. I asked if he was scared. He said, ‘no.’”
‘You need to go home to your wife, not be in here with me tonight,’ mom told her newlywed doctor. She was their favorite patient. They loved her determination to fight.’: Daughter feels ’emptiness’ after her mom’s 15-year battle with cancer
“She was my best friend, my go to for everything. Our dream was to go to the beach and have a cabana boy for the day. On her 60th birthday, I made our dream come true. Unfortunately, she couldn’t put her toes in the sand as she was in a wheelchair, but we had the perfect day, cabana boy and all.”
