Emerging Courageous online Magazine - Stories
The
Final Hours
by Mary Jean Fink
I
had an experience the other evening that will be with me for a long time.
At
8 pm I received a call that my friend's son was dying of liver failure at age 43
and had a mere 48 hours to live. By 10pm I was at the hospital to see if there
was anything that I could do to support her. The room was empty except for her
son Joey who never heard me enter. I decided to sit next to his bed and pray for
him. At one point he became very agitated and started to shake. I went to the
side of his bed and began to rub his head and pat his cheeks in smooth strokes.
Just like a puppy, he responded and by his movements and his eyes I could tell
he wished me to continue. So I did so... for about a half hour or more. I spoke
to him about how loved he was and that he should relax and stop trying to think
so hard ( his brow kept furrowing). I told him he was so special and had so many
people who loved him.
I
began to leave and he almost whispered, but more like mouthed..."
Stay".. . The only words he had spoken to me. He did not know who I was but
it didn't matter. I pulled up a chair and held his hand. His breathing was
horrible... short raspy breaths. I began to do heavy deep (Prana) breathing and
eventually he fell into the breathing pattern with me...and we both fell sound
asleep. At 1am the nurse woke me up as she was changing his IV bag.
I could not believe that I was still there holding his hand. I went out
to speak to the nurses whom I knew...they had taken care of both my husband and
I.
At
2 am I peeked in to kiss him goodnight. I then headed home. When I awoke in the
morning, my husband asked where I had been all night. I told him about falling asleep while visiting my friends
son. He got a sad look on his face and said that the hospital had
called in the morning before I awoke to say he passed on at 5 am.
I
really am having a difficult time understanding why I was chosen to be there
because Joey did not know me. But the joyous looks he gave me made me feel like
he knew just who I was or why I was there. Now I think he felt I had come to
help him go home, and after relaxing he left this earthly plane.
This
has been a very special experience for me...I am glad I was chosen to be there
to be with him in his final hours.