Nurses, what are the most unsettling last words you've heard from an ill patient? 

The last thing I heard my dad say was "You should definitely spend more time with me. Who knows, I might not have that long left." It broke my heart looking back on it..

My grandad was a pow survivor and an incredibly brave man he escapes 5 times in total. Think Steve McQueen but 6 foot 4 and broad shoulders. He died at 72 of lung cancer. The day he died at home he got up went to the bathroom washed shaved clanged into clean clothing then came back in said I didn't want anyone to have to do it before the funeral director comes. Laid back down and died. Hero total hero

"It's such a lovely day. Don't let this spoil it." This gets me right in the feels. The weather the day my mother passed was beautiful -- warm, a gentle breeze, clear blue skies. That's exactly the sort of thing she would have said.

when dementia patients suddenly become lucid right before they die, it is actual true lucidity, so when that one story happened and she said 'all my girls', smiled, and died, she was actually able to percieve what was going on, one last time

To anyone who is reading this here’s what I want to say. My husband took his life. Very sudden and we had no idea it was coming. My second love was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a very aggressive form of brain cancer. We had three months from diagnosis to death. It was heartbreaking to see him decline but we both knew he was dying fast and were able to have wonderful hard conversations that I was never able to with my husband. It sounds cliche but really treat today like it’s your last.

My aunt loved my oldest child with her whole heart. I had my kid when I was really young, my aunt would take them on the weekends a lot of the times. Everyone at the hospital she worked at knew my kid very well. My aunt got a fast moving thyroid cancer. She had that burst of energy before death. My kid was about one and a half, walked into the room the night before she died. Kid fell on the ground and slapped their hands on the floor. My aunt immediately got out of bed to go help them. It was so crazy to see, she was basically in a coma like state for days. She really loved my kiddo.

Fun fact: Many women do not realize when they are having heart attacks. The pain is so similar to menstrual pain for some women that it doesn't even register consciously, so many of us only notice something is off because we get a sudden weakness in the limbs or maybe having a bit of trouble catching our breath rather than anything else like sharp chest pain. This isn't true of all women of course, but it is true for many. My point in sharing this is ladies, please get exams beyond breast cancer screenings, especially as you get older because you may not even notice if you are starting to have issues with your heart until something bad happens.

I am a retired RN and can empathize with these scenarios. I worked womb to tomb and have been around death and dying. It changes you. I have a DNR. I can't think of anything more horrible than waking up on a vent. Drs and nurses do not pay attention to the immobilized patients pain. I went as a visitor to my friends father's death bed. Her father looked at me and his eyes were watery and pained. I asked him if he was in pain from the tube and he nodded yes. I asked his nurse to give him something for pain. I always liked him and feel I was allowed to do one last thing for him.

My mom's last words to me. 'i'm proud of you for stepping up, proud of you for the father you've become, and proud of the man you've grown to be.' She never spoke again and died a month later of brain cancer, it's been seven long years later this month.

Why do I watch these? My son is terminal and has a DNR. This is both comforting and terrifying

The last thing my Dad said my Grandmother said was 'I want to see my boys'. Grandma had 5 sons 3 of which had died in different ways. She wanted to go to see them. And she did a few hours later.

I'm a nurse, I've nursed many dying patients, some still stand out. A young woman with 2 children about 6 & 8 years old was dying of cancer. She sat up, looked at the corner & said "not yet, I've got to say goodbye." I got her comfortable & her husband came in with the children. She hugged them & told them she loved them so much. I then took the children out. 5 mins later she had died, her husband asked me had she said anything so I told him. He was sobbing his heart out but through his tears he said, she spoke her dad's name & looked so happy, I'm so glad she wasn't frightened.

Retired critical care / ER nurse. I have a letter thanking me for the care I had given their wife and father. Last admission (he'd been there a lot) he had more and more difficulty breathing and I pushed for a lot of medication. They were grateful because he didn't suffer. Got a card and angel candle. Won't forget his last moments. Family talking, then singing hymns. Another case was we arranged a vow renewal as the husband was dying of cancer and they were trying to make it to the date. We pulled together flowers, music, family. He died a few hours after renewal.

The colon story. A lot of people don't want theirs removed. I have a great uncle who had a colostomy bag and the procedure is painful, has its own complications, and it's just an entire mess for some people.

As far as seeing someone before you die, my grandfather kept staring at the wall beside of me when he was dying. At that time it was just me and him in the room. I dont know why, but I asked him if he was seeing grandma, who had died 6 years before. He nodded yes. It was so cold on that side of the room, and nowhere else. When he passed, i swear I saw her in the corner of my eye, and I swear when I walked out of the room after, I saw her leaning over him, giving him a kiss. I hope it was really her. It seemed to comfort him.

my grandpa had osteosarcoma. we had no idea, the doctors had no idea. he just stopped walking one day, couldn't hold his bladder, said he couldn't eat because his throat felt tight. it was a tumor, sarcoma spread from his bones. he was in the hospital for a month. my mom and step dad, my aunts and uncle and i were there 24/7, switching places. the last thing grandpa told me while being 100% lucid... he called my name, waited for me to look at him and said "thank you for all of your help" my mom was halfway out the door, shut it before she burst into tears in front of him. grandpa was a v logical, serious person. he had fun when talking to friends and family, laughed at stories we shared, but he was overall a serious person. a few years before he was gone, he started resting his hand on my shoulder or holding my hand briefly bc that that's how I showed affection/care for mom, grandma and him. for him to begin showing affection through a hand on the shoulder, ruffling my hair, after being hesitant to show affection towards us (physically) for a long time... that makes me so emotional to think of... for him to be surprised that i was helping, that i went to hospital, fed him, helped him drink water? you raised me. you went far and beyond to give your family the best life. you are caring, sweet (even if people think you're suuuper serious), so smart it's annoying! it's an honour to be your grandkid! it's an honour to have known you! of course im here, silly! you're an incredibly dear person to me! i smiled, held his hand and went "well, of course I'm helping! you're my grandpa, I love you!" couldnt really say everything i wanted. if i started crying, i have a feeling he'd think "well, if they're crying I'm done for" hah he laughed and started to quiet down. meds were kicking in. we were leaving, another family member was there to start "their shift". it sticks with me, still. im glad i was able to help and be there for him saudades, vô ❤

My dad asked me to wrap my mom's Christmas gifts. I asked him why and he said that he wanted her last Christmas with him to be beautiful and special. He passed away on January 10th! He also lost his wedding ring because he lost some weight. My mom wanted to get him another one and he told it'd just be a waste of money. That was a month before he passed....he knew 😢. I was also just barely pregnant with his last grandchild, just found out. That was the only reason we went to spend Christmas with my parents because in Montana, you don't want to fight the roads. I feel so lucky that I got to spend that last Christmas with him.

Kudos to the hospice workers, paramedics giving their stories here. Very sensitive and compassionate with your patients ❤

The people that died alone with no friends or family are the ones that truly break my heart

My gram came in with stage 4 cancer. She was in pretty bad shape and given days to live. Fairly out of it. The morning of the day she passed, she asked for cheerios with cherries on it and sat eating it, oxygen mask on her forehead, joking with us. Best final memory ever.

As for the colon question, my partner told me to never let him have to have a colostomy bag, that he couldn't handle it, that mat have been the same for her

I’m in Australia and I work as an EN (kinda like an LPN in the US). So, I work for an agency and it’s mostly aged care work. One facility was a suburb away from my house, so i’d always accept work from there. There was one lady with alzheimers and who was also blind, who would scream, spit, and claw at staff. I wasn’t too excited to meet her. She was a paediatrician, had an OAM (Order of Australia Medal) and was apparently a remarkable woman. As this was my first job after graduating, I felt I could take on the world, so would always volunteer to do some carer duties with her which the carers were delighted about to not have to spend time with her. Well, she would spit, scream and was very behavioural. I put up with it. She couldn’t help it, she was terrified. I never knew the extent of her blindness, she’d call me “Pinkie” as my uniform was pink. Well, 3 months later, I did a double- and that was the time she started to deteriorate. I called an ambulance, and her daughter was with us when it all happened. As they were getting her ready to transport her, I held her hand and she looked in my direction and told me “I’m scared Pinkie, I’m really scared”. I told her that it would be fine and I’d see her when she came back. She didn’t come back. The daughter came back to thank us all for our care. She pulled me aside and mentioned that her mum kept asking about “Pinkie”. I’m crying when thinking of this. It’s been 2 years. I did go to her funeral and she lived an amazing life. I’m glad that I could be a part of her life, even for a little bit. RIP Dr J. I also have another story. So my maternal grandmother died on Mother’s Day in 1965 (a week and a bit before my mum was 7). Well my Grandmother went to the best school in our city. Well I was in a psych unit back in 2015 and I was having a smoke and chatting with another patient. We spoke about our lives, and she mentioned that she, her mother and her grandmother went to said school. I told her I have my grandmothers grade 9 class photo (1936ish) and showed her. Well, she took my phone, zoomed in and went “that’s my grandmother, right there”. Well at that time her grandmother was still alive, although had alzheimers. The mum of the girl got a copy of the photo, show it to her mother and the grandmother went “that’s Gwenny! I went to her funeral”. And then went back in to the usual alzheimers sort of state. She died several days later.

My aunt was in hospice care, a very beautiful hospice. We were all just waiting for the inevitable. One night she called my other aunt over to her and told her to gather as many people as possible. We thought this was it and sadly we were over 300 miles away. But oh no, she threw herself a party and everyone drank her favourite drink- prosecco! She pulled my other aunt (her big sister) over again and said "Wouldn't it be funny if I didn't die!?" She was honestly the most excellent person I ever met

I'm not a nurse, but i was at the hospital when my grandfather passed. He had multiple mini strokes leading up to this moment, and was unable to talk the entire time. In his last five minutes, he tried to ask us something that we couldn't understand, all we could make out was "Is this". We handed him a white board, and he wrote "Is this the" and my aunt stopped him and ask "Dad, are you trying to ask us if this is the end?" and he just nodded. We told him only if he wanted it to be. He died five minutes later, staring right into my eyes. That was his last words in life. The night before his funeral, his spirit visited me. He looked at me with sad eyes and told me to have faith, then left. He was a charter member and former chief of the fd, he built it up from a wood shack with two old trucks to the 7 stall 8 apparatus outfit it is now. I still remember telling the station he had passed, and every word of his final tone. Watching him die and having to watch my family go through it was hard enough, but watching grown men and women who deal with death and energy everyday break down from the news broke my heart. Just a few weeks before he was happy and normal. I still remember the last day he was completely normal, standing with him talking normal. Three of the departments trucks were coming back from a call, and gave a blast of the horn and a chirp on the siren when they passed. The smile he had when he saw three of his rigs coming home, knowing all his guys were safe and seeing those trucks, two that he helped build in house, protecting the community. That's the last time I remember him being the way he always had been. He so wanted to see the new truck 86 arrive the last one he ordered before retiring, it arrived a few months after his passing, and I helped work its second ever call for service. RIP Doo, all of us and all the guys from the station miss you. Hope grandma and the fallen members are keeping you company.

On that first story. You say you want to be a nurses favorite and it's a good legacy to leave behind. I was a cna for a decade and the nursing staff 100% has favorite patients. I had two married couples who were my favorite people I ever cared for and I think about them to this day, even though they all passed on. One of them gave me a book from the 1800s when he was alive and I still have it. Trust me, if you're kind to your staff, you'll be remembered (or don't be kind and you'll still be remembered, but I wouldn't recommend that. 😅)

My sister works as a QMA. The colectomy results in a stoma/coloscopy bag. They are the bane of any care giver that has to change that bag. It always gets everywhere, there are several commonly seen medical issues that can arise from the colostomy bag, and most nursing staff do not want to go thru the misery of constant infections, pain, and general loss of quality of life and human dignity, let alone pass the kind of care they require onto a fellow nurse.)

When dementia patients suddenly gain lucidity before death is both eerie and a gift for family. A glimpse of how they were.

Sometimes I suddenly think about my family members going away, leaving the earth. The thought scares me and makes me anxious. I don’t know what to do if that happens to me, so I talk to my parents every day, make sure they’re ok, in the best way I can. I’m studying abroad rn so it’s difficult to talk to them more casually, but I’m trying to keep this habit alive. I wish to everyone who lost their family members have a great future

According to my mom, my Auntie’s last lucid discussion was our preacher cousin asking if she believed in Christ. We’re black southern baptists. I have had my doubts and so has my mom, but she saw my aunt become lucid long enough for last rites. She died later that night around midnight. I woke up inexplicably around then, checked my phone, nothing but something felt _wrong._ Woke up in the morning to get dressed for work, mom called, I knew. It still destroyed me, I couldn’t get home to see her before she left. I said goodbye, but she was ashes by then. She helped raise me. I don’t have memories without her. Or at least I didn’t. My parents, cousins, fiancé, and in-laws all say it’s best I didn’t see her deteriorating because my final memories are her as she was while healthy, not her in the hospital with wires and tubes. I have some of her ashes in an urn ring. My mom helped me put some of them in there because I got nervous that I would accidentally “spill my aunt on the floor” and the first time I said it, we all _fucking lost it laughing._ It’s a sunflower ring. She’d like it. When I take it off I remind people not to drop my aunt. She’d laugh about it too. ❤

Love your channel and this particular episode has cemented my decision to go into hospice care. Thank you!

My great grandmother was in hospice. My dad (who hated my mother's family) insisted we go see her. We get there; she is sitting talking up a storm with everyone. It was a nice time. Later on we found out from the staff that she had been out of it for a long time, only that day was she lucid. It is something that happens for some strange reason with people nearing the end.

Regarding Story 44 - my mom told me stories of a couple of patients in long-term care facilities she worked in who had been placed there by greedy family who had no more use for them but they were healthy, just old. I know one died within 2 weeks of getting into LTC. She told me it's absolutely possible to will yourself to die, and to die of a broken heart. I'll never forget her tales of working long-term care & how cruel people can be to those they are supposed to love. If someone isn't dying fast enough for you, you have a problem. My dad was an abusive alcoholic, hasn't spoken to me in 6 years, but I still don't wish him harm. I think being him is punishment enough, he doesn't need to suffer more than that. Throwing elderly family away is disgusting. It shouldn't be allowed.

When I was 4, my sister accidentally pushed me down the stairs. All I remember is the air got ripped out of me. Then… Everything was bright and beautiful. My grandma picked me up and said “Not yet sweetheart, you’re showing up much too early!” Then I woke up to my dad giving me CPR. It was my grandma that died when I was a baby. It felt so peaceful. I just knew it was grandma somehow. I can’t explain it. I absolutely believe people seeing other people before passing. It was the most real vivid memory from my childhood

The colon thing may just be a desire not to suffer. Removing the colon means a colostomy bag for life. My mom (whose last words to me were “I’ll see you tomorrow, I love you”) loathed her colostomy bag like nothing else.

My grandma was super mean and racist. Her last words were to her doctor (a lovely Japanese man), she said “I hope you choke on your rice” …then her meds kicked in and she never regained consciousness.

i love “i knew you were real, awesome.” lol very beautiful.

26th this month is going to be exactly one year since one of my great friends died. Last time we saw each other we spent great night togather talking, drinking beers and listening music. Im not sure what was exactly last thing I told him but its was something like "take care, Im sure you can overcome anything going your way". We'v been on few music festivals togather, and few concerts, guns and roses music will be forever linked to him in my mind. Music was very important for him, He was violinist - and a good one. He was one of the best of US - ambitious af, Smart prick, he was studying the medicine and the law on the same time! That always impress me. Damn I miss u my friend. I was always sure you will Play on my funeral...

Personal support worker here; I worked on a complex continuing care unit in a hospital. Had a highly schizophrenic elderly lady, had it her whole life. She took favour to me cause I had the same name and looks like her granddaughter and allowed me to do very private care for her which the staff loved because I could be able to clean her up, shower her and lotion her whole body and get a clean nightgown on. She was booked to go to the mental health facility in the big city and she said heck no I’m dying in this hospital. Literally the morning of she passed away. Came on shift, assisted my coworkers on the previous night shift, rubbed her feet as she passed and the workers told me to go sit back down cause I didn’t officially start for another half an hour. We all loved it cause she always told us she was dying in that hospital to every staff that talked about her relocation aha

Oh my God, they put me in a fucking home, didn't they? Fuck! (She died a few hours later, she had been my patient for a couple months but she had Alzheimer's so bad she didn't even know where she was until that last few hours. She just looked at me and said they put me in a fucking home didn't they? She then went back to normal, and passed during her nap)

My dad was about to be gone. I had some work to do, so I was at home. A little after 4am, I woke up and just knew he was gone. A few seconds later, he was in my mind, "Sorry bud. I want to stay, but I gotta go. Love you." About a minute later, my mom called from the hospital to tell me he had just passed. I told her I knew, that he woke me up.

My ex's Grandma was a dramatic woman, but she had her calf amputated after a cat scratch got severely infected. I took care of her for months! DR appointments, cleaning her wound and changing her dressings. I did it. After fainted in the bathroom after taking care of her one day I called my mom (home health care nurse) and got a real nurse to come help but I was still there every step of the way. One day I was taking her to her DR and I'll never forget the way she broke down crying at her front door saying "I hope you know how much I appreciate everything you have done for me. I love you. And you deserve so much better than my grandson." And I thought this was her just being 'dramatic' and told her I loved her and I'd be there for her and she didn't have to thank me, I just wished her son and grandson were willing/able to take care of her..we went to the DR and she was gone 3 days later. To this day I believe she knew she was going to pass and wanted to tell me she loved me and to leave the family.. Took me like a year before I finally took her advice and left. Best decision I ever made, with her words of wisdom. But my ex's cousin was my maid of honor and I still have a close relationship with his niece so I didn't leave completely, just enough to set me free, but keep those I truly love with me

I heard my stepdads last words. He was in a coma and my mother had stepped out for 5 minutes. He woke up and asked where she was. He then said, “you guys kept me going. Do you understand what I mean? You and your mom. You kept me going.” He slipped back in and passed a few hours later. Don’t smoke, kids.

Here’s my favorite last words story, for those needing a breather. When famous author Roald Dahl was dying, he looked at his gathered family and said “it’s not that I’m afraid, it’s just that I’m going to miss you all so much.” He then closed his eyes and seemed to slip into unconsciousness. A nurse stepped forward to inject him with morphine to ease his passing. As it turned out, he wasn’t actually unconscious yet, and the sudden needle jab prompted him to shout his actual last words: “Ow! Fuck!”

My dad has asbestosis and was taken to hospital. He also only had one lung from childhood. I live in another state. He called me and said my heart is slowing and I’m going to die. He spoke to the grandchildren and died later that night.

This is an intense one bro, thanks for covering it. I love the insights to stuff like this. I definitely cried a couple times too, hope youre doing good!

Death is not opposite of life It is part of it Live your life to the fullest Stay safe all ❤❤

Fresh post to say… I AM a religious person, but when a teenager is scared, sick and in pain, you should be focused on comforting him, not yourself. Sorry, but if one of my kids was that sick I can’t imagine telling them to pray for forgiveness. First, because that’s something you do daily as you try and become a better person, not when your life is ending. If you can’t avoid jail by saying sorry then I can’t see avoiding consequences with a deathbed confession. But more than that, someone who’s vulnerable needs reassurance and to not feel alone, not to be put in fear of hellfire.

My mom before she passed away she was able to see my grandparents. My mom’s parents they passed before her. It’s almost 3 years that she passed away from cancer. 😭😭😭😭 she was worried about me, she wanted me by her side the whole time and I was there. I cried when the doctors put her on hospice care. We had her home and she signed paperwork. I seen she signed the DNR paper and I would cry uncontrollably. I still cry uncontrollably till this day for her 😭💔. I work in the medical field and my mom gave me an extra push to do it.

I'm struggling with this video. I've had the news that my mom is not likely to live for much longer. She has had horrible afflictions on her lungs for almost a decade now, all stemming from secondhand smoke as a child, and then a black mold infestation that got way too out of hand. She's been on supplemental oxygen ever since I got into college, I'm 25 now. Her immune system was killed completely by her medicine regiment, without adequate caution from her prescribing doctors. She's getting infusions to treat that, and we're desperately trying to see if she can get a lung transplant. Unfortunately, she will age out of eligibility for transplants in literally a day over two months from now. With transplant she'd probably be able to live a normal life again for the first time in almost a decade. Without it, though, the prognosis is 1-2 more years. I'm struggling with this, and I just hope that she'll finally be at peace and out of pain when the time comes. I will admit though, I'm also a bit jealous, she'll be the first one of us to get to see our dog again, who we had to put down last year after 14 perfect years in our family.

The lady who said she wants everything done except if they want to remove her colon. She probably didn't want live with a colostomy or ileostomy. I had one briefly it was horrible and I put in my advanced directive that I'd rather die then have one again.

48:30 and 59:25 This phenomenon is known as terminal lucidity. Dementia patients can sometimes regain function in their final moments. A lot of people see this as a positive thing, its a opportunity to say goodbye and gain closure. Dementia is one of the most depressing ways to lose a family member. When I was little, I had an aunt who had Dementia. I saw how it left her as a husk of a human being, I wasn't really close to her, but nowadays I have a my momaw who is starting to show to beginning signs of Dementia. Knowing that im the closest grandson she has and Im going to be the one that sees her slow decline is very depressing to me. I can only hope that when it's all over, I can have some sort of closure.

As my father was close to his last breaths he said, "Boy the wings are those birds are really something."

This is sad, but strangely feels like it’s good to hear. Thanks. Your input is appreciated too

It was just me and my dad for 20 years. He raised me for 20 years. He made sure to be there for me whenever I had any doctors appointment any surgery everything. But still to this day I wish that I was there for him when he took his last breath. I know I was there for any other time he was struggling and he survived but this time the only time I wasn’t there he ended up dying.

My opinion on the "Colon story"- I've been a nurse for 10 years now, and one thing I have heard time and time again from other nurses is "if I ever have to have a colostomy, please just let me die." I have worked with literally hundreds of nurses, and about 90% of them agree to that sentiment without hesitation every time it comes up.... If the lady in the story (former nurse) was going to have her colon removed, that almost certainly means she would have had an ostomy placed so that the poop would have a way to get out of the body without having to go through the colon. I would bet my paycheck that she was among the many, many nurses who, after emptying bags of ostomy poop on a daily basis at work, just cant stand the thought of having to have one on their own body that your poop leaks into, resulting in you or a loved one having to open, smell, and empty your poop bag every couple hours... Cant tell you how many times a patient rolled over in their sleep, and the seal on the bag pops, resulting in a leak... To which they then wake up to themselves laying in a puddle of poop... Yeahhhh most of us have had to help clean up that situation enough times that we are just like "yeah I'm good on that... Let me die" 😅

My Grandma was sick for years. One day she asked my mom to put a particular dress of hers (a kinda revealing one she never wore lol) in the dry cleaners to "get it ready" and my mom asked for what, to which my grandma replied "For my funeral. I want to buried in that dress." She died 3 days later, and we buried her in her dress.

My dad had pancreatic cancer. It was stage 4 and he was gone in about 2 months. We had a difficult relationship. A few days before he died he asked my mom to call me for him. I was 5 ½ hours away at college. My dad never called me; we mostly communicated through my mom. It was a very short conversation and he was clearly very weak. His last words to me were, “I love you. I’m gonna go to sleep now.” I knew that was the last time I would ever speak to him. He died a few days later. My mom and sisters didn’t get final words like this which they have struggle with. I needed those words and their good relationships with him gave them a lifetime of words from him.

I'm 51 years old. Lost my Dad 31 years ago, and not a day goes by that I don't think of him and wish he was here. These stories have me all up in my feelings missing my dad (who died from lung cancer).

32:33 i had my lungs fill with blood once, extremely awful experience. Literally drowing in blood. Didnt stop coughing up blood for over a week. When it happened i coughed up so much into a bucket, it was insane the amount of blood in the bucket. Was so uncomfortable and just plain awful

Worked in a nursing home and a lady had during the one and a half years I worked there, not said one single sane word. Just a bunch of mumbeling and laughing to her self. No conscious contact with others. When I walked by one day, she sat straight up in her bed, looked me straight in my eyes and said "can I have a glass of lemonaid"? And then gone again. She passed away the next day.

My mom waved goodbye and blew kisses. She was soo ready. She sends me signs: songs and dragonflies.

Last thing my dad said to me.. His face went from pure peace, to absolute shock and panic, he said "I didn't sign anything!" I didn't understand and just said, "You don't have to sign anything, daddy." He immediately went from tensed to relaxed. And said "oh..." I found out the next day when I went to collect his things from hospice that his younger sister and wealthy brother who have never been there for him his entire life, contacted his broker and tried to force him into signing his entire estate over to his sister that previous day. I didn't care about money and things. But the fact that my father had to live his life with people taking everything they can from him (my mother during their divorce), failed relationships afterwards who just robbed him blind, and then his own family as he was on his deathbed, absolutely shattered me. The hospice nurse said he refused and insisted that they leave. I am heartbroken that they caused him so much anguish and I had no idea, thus I couldn't even comfort him in those final moments, I had no idea what he meant.

I don't know what the last words of my uncle were, the night that he killed himself. I remember the last words he said to me and I'll never ever forget them. He had been leaving his daughters (then three and just barely two) with my grandmother until after New Years. He was going through a divorce so he'd been weepy over the whole holiday. Even still, I remember being confused as to why he was crying so much when he said goodbye to the girls. Looking back it seems so glaringly obvious, I wonder if I had said anything to anyone if things would have turned out differently? Would someone have intervened? If I had just spoken on my confusion to that would he still be alive? I followed him out to his car because I helped take his bags out. He looked at me and started crying again. He hugged me tight and told me, "I love you. Please look after the girls and help your grandma." I was fourteen and stupid and embarrassed. I jokingly said, "Stop being so mushy Uncle Neil." He just smiled sadly at me and went to say goodbye to grandma. I think of it every year during the holidays. I wish I had said I loved him too. That I loved him so so so so much. That his girls loved him and needed him, that we all needed him. I wish I had said something to my grandma about him crying so much. I wish I had given voice to the nameless worry I had for him. I don't know if it's hindsight that paints those memories that way. If nothing had happened I'm sure I would have forgotten his goodbye among a sea of a hundred others. But I can't, it's precious to me, even if it hurts me and makes me wonder and think. I miss you Uncle Neil, I've been alive longer without you now, isn't that crazy?

this one reminds me oif all the ghoists I carry even so long out of the field. it is a terrible privialge to hear last words amd his one made me cry, thank you to everyone who shared a story.

Story 24: the thought of a colostomy bag is just too much for some people. It is messy and a smell that you never forget. I was in full PPE with an N95 when a patient’s paying bag was changed in the bathroom. (I was in the room.) the smell permeated my mask and I couldn’t get it out of my nose for awhile after I left. It can be a hassle and too much for some. Everyone has their own limit.

My poor grandma wasn't really lucid the last 3 days of her life and was unable to speak at all, not even 1 word. Suddenly on the day she died she sits up in her hospital bed and says with "I have to go to the bathroom!" And she actually tries getting out of bed even though she can no longer stand anymore. We tried to tell her not to get up and that she has a diaper and not to worry wed change it. She then said "I am Not going to poop my pants!" She then slowly lost lucidity and was quiet the rest of the day till she passed. I just felt so bad her last words were "I am not going to poop in my pants" but then again she had a kinda childlike sense of humor and was always joking about that stuff so maybe it kinda suits her.

I'm commenting a second time to affirm that a patient that is comatose and/or dying CAN hear you. I can speak from both research and from personal experience. To help solidify my statement as fact, when we die, the brain lives up to 10 minutes after and the very last sense to go is hearing. Again, I can personally confirm.

My grandma, my mom’s mom, had 9 kids and 30+grandchildren. The last thing she said was I love you to my mom, who is the youngest and who she lived with. My mom said she never said this much, it was more like they just knew it. She said I love you then was silent for a week and passed.

I watch all your videos on all your channels but this one I just can’t get through I can’t stop sobbing 😭

a few months before my uncle self existed, i was visiting my grandma and we went by his tattoo parlor. Last thing we talked about was him taking me jet skiing. I wanted to go but was too busy at the time and took a raincheck. I jokingly say "you butthead, you owe me that jet ski trip whenever i see you in heaven, or whatever the next life is." Rest in Paradise Danny

My great-grandmother died when I was 1 year old, but I do know she was losing her memory and it broke my father in a small way. She was my father's father's mother and my paternal grandpa passed away in 89', she called my father by his father's name and he had to constantly remind her "No grandmother, I'm A, your grandson, I'm not N, I'm his son, he's gone grandmother" She also didn't remember she had great-grandchildren, and if she did remember, she only remembered my second oldest brother (who's her oldest biologically related great-grandson), she didn't remember who I was or who my little brother was until she was reminded of us. And I know I will see my paternal grandmother die with similar circumstances, she keeps remembering that I am around 11, when I had my height spurt, because she keeps telling me "Oh how much you have grown since I last saw you. Your hair is also so long now, oh and little N is also such a tall boy now" We have to remind her that "Grandma, I'm already 21, I haven't grown an inch since I was around 11, and N is also 20 now, he's an adult too" She's always so surprised when we remind her of the truth… I think Grandma will start calling N by our dad's name when her memory gets worse since N is almost a direct copy of our dad. Memory loss is a high risk for me and all 4 of my brothers (even the oldest who doesn’t share a dad with us, his grandmother has memory issues as well) and I’m afraid.

i was at work the day my grandmother passed. i unfortunately do not know if she had any final words, but i remember the weather turning from sunny to overcast and windy. i remember feeling sick to my stomach. i remember my older sister telling me she had the same feelings and just *knew* that gram had passed. we called and cried to each other. that was 2018. i miss gram so much

Not really a Death Bed situation, but the last time I saw my dad, he just went to the movies watch Across the Spiderverse. He looked at me, hugged me, and said "I love you, son." He died a few days later from a heart attack.

My last words, but I’m alive and I wasn’t dying..my pet rat went into cardiac arrest on the way to a regular vet appointment for other stuff..his heart stopped, I said yes I wanted him back, it stopped again and he was gone..I was petting him, sobbing and telling him what a good boy he was and I loved him. Rest In Peace, Mars. You lived a year and a half which was short, but I’ve never been so thankful for a scar. It’s a memory of you. You’re with Adventure, Jupiter, Neptune, and the ratties you never met..Paradox, Ruffles, Angel..I hope that I’ll see you one day again. I still miss you and died back in December..December 15th, 2023. I wish I was there when Ruffles and Addy passed but I wasn’t. Keep them safe, feisty boy.

i cried some kind of both sad and happy tears while listening to this video.

Not treating someone begging for help when they can’t breathe because of a dnr is INSANE.

My grandma also asked my mum: "Why are so many people in here?" In these exact words as well! (Though in German ;) ) Those were her last words. She died a few hours later.

For me, I was a kitchen aid at a nursing home. A gentleman had severe cancer but was a bit of an ass. One supper he asked me to wheel him to his room and told me thank you. I said ofc, Yw. He then said no, thank you. For everything. That was the last time I spoke with him he died overnight and was gone by the time I went in the next day.

Hospice nurse have very responsible and humanitarian jobs.they are more than priests and nuns . Such a service towards dying people.

Double bone chilling story: My uncle had destroyed his entire system through alcohol and was in the hospital for 2-3 years and was suffering all the time and we had all visited him but he kept on living until my grandma spoke to him (her story is the second one) after the call he passed away immediately did not go down without talking to everyone at least once. My grandma was an even bigger fighter dealing with it for 5-6 years always making sudden miraculous recoveries but was bed ridden and she did not leave until everyone was there together in peace (she was already in the hospital when the incident happened with my uncle)

A lot of these are making me tear up, but especially the ones about fathers. I'm terrified of losing my dad, and not having something to remember him by. A recording of his voice because I'm so scared I'll forget what he sounds like. Next to my younger sister, he's the person I love most in the world, and I don't think I'll ever be ready to lose him.

My grandmother's funeral is in a few hours. I can't be there because I live far away. Just a couple weeks ago she collapsed and they took her to the ER only to find that she's had ovarian cancer for six or eight years and just did nothing about it. I made the trip up to try to see her last week. She couldn't talk, couldn't open her eyes, couldn't get a full breath of air even with the ventilator. I don't even know what her last words to me were. I think we saw each for Christmas, and my wedding reception before that. Honestly I'm just so mad that she clearly knew something was wrong (she was 72 and hiding menstrual pads in her closet because the tumor would cause bleeding) and by the time she collapsed it had barely mestastised. The odds could have been so good but she just... Didn't let them be good, for some reason

The head medic calling DOA is exactly what triage is. Identifying who can and cannot be helped by sight alone can only come from decades of experience.

the last text i got from by best friend( he was in the hospital for pneumonia and kidney failure) tanked mefor being like a sister. he had a heart attack less than 24 hours later. he was 33

One of the last conversations I had with my dad over the phone was him explaining how to plan his funeral, I was 15 and I understood death happens to everyone so I wasn’t too phased about his request but looking back I wish we got to see him more in the hospital before he went on a ventilator

I made it 5 minutes in and had to stop. I can't imagine anyone making it the full hour watching this video.

About the colon.... The reason being that colon removal is a major surgery, the things that can and often do go wrong are varied and terrible. Then there's the living with a hole in your body with a bag attached; it seeps, weeps, leaks, spills and is often a large damper on many life events, big and small. You also have a much harder time absorbing required vitamins, minerals etc. So the body often loses weight and becomes sickly. Infusions and other invasive options are then needed. Then add in the fact that the patient in the story was a nurse. Imagine being disabled, sickly, not being able to go anywhere without anxiety over the various issues with the attached bag through a hole in your body etc. I too have made it clear that I refuse to live with a bag attached permanently (or at all) to my stomach or part of my colon. I have Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis on and off, etc. My dad does as well plus diverticulitis and his dad died of colon cancer. I understand the nurse.

Why the colon? Probably several reasons, but the first I can think of is the colostomy bag. If you don't have a colon, you don't have a place for the poop to go, which means they'll install a colostomy - essentially an external poop port. I have known 3 people in my life who've had to have it and all of them found it extremely difficult to deal with, both physically and mentally. One of them was elderly (80's) and told my mother that he'd have preferred to die. (He already had a urostomy (pee port) after urethral cancer in his 40's.) On top of that, any messing with the intestines or colon in elderly patients is extremely dangerous and no matter how good the surgeon and medical care, can easily lead to an incredibly painful end from a myriad of things - blockage, torsion, sepsis. As a nurse, that OP's mother would have known all of this and more and made a choice about her hard line when it came to quality of life.

I was a caretaker for my grandma, she had dementia & was mainly non-verbal the last few months. She was oddly lucid the last few days, the last time i saw her (my shift with her before she passed) she kept mentioning “the man” & was pointing at the corner. Didn’t seem scared or upset more like “don’t you see him? the man’s right there.” I always assume it was her bestfriend/ husband who preceded her in death. My family discovered her late at night in the orating position next to her bed.

The last thing my grandpa said was a joke with the EMTs about how difficult it was to maneuver the gurney through the hallways of the house. He hung on until he was out of my and grandma's sight and hearing before crashing.

I have a story about my pet. I needed to put him to sleep after he had cancer and was too weak to go on. I held him as he went to sleep, he let out a sigh.. he sighed when he was comfortable. He was my baby and i miss him every single day.

New cardiac patient transferred to stepdown. Told me I'm going to die tonight. Had stable vitals, looked great. Had a heart attack 4 days earlier. Got her up to the portable toilet. Eyes then roll back and she coded. Didn't make it.

The last one: that's how I'll go. Laughing and making people laugh. So I can tell you that you were everything to him, and that's fine! You were there when he needed someone. Of course, as always, the ones left behind are the ones who suffer. But believe me, you gave this guy EXACTLY what he needed. My therapist once told me that laughing with someone, making someone laugh, is an intimate kind of thing. You helped him. I know you did bc yep, he sounds exactly like me! I hope and pray I have a YOU there when it's my time! And I'm funny as hell!

With the amount of family members who’ve died in my lifetime, I should know some of their last words, but I don’t know of any. The closest thing I can think of is my grandmother’s possible last word. For context, about 7 years ago now (she died a a year and a month ago [we buried her on my birthday, since I shared it with her]) she had a stroke, and from there slowly lost her ability to move, speak, eat, basically anything. My immediate family had started building our house after she had the stroke, when she was still relatively able-bodied, and she wanted to see it. The house was finished for awhile, and it wasn’t until I think March of last year that she was able to come down (she lived 3 hours away by car). At this point, speaking for her was incredibly hard, and she hardly ever spoke to anyone, and when she did it was only ever one or two words and they were hard to understand. Before she and my grandfather left their house, he asked her if she was ready to see the new house. He described it as the strongest word she’d spoken since basically going mute: “Yes.” She died only a couple months later, and with her condition i doubt she would’ve had the strength or ability to speak again after she visited. My immediate family was at her house when she died. She died in her sleep, sometime between 2 or 3 am. I was awake at that time, and the power went out for a split second. She was on one of those respirator things for sleeping, and i think that when the power went out, it did too.

OP used the word "necrotic" to describe the colon, which implies that the colon's condition would lead to death if not removed. Colons are commonly removed (fully or partially) to treat colon cancer as well.

I wasn't there but I believe my mothers last words were "I don't feel too well" to the Doctor doing the rounds. Her last words before we left for the night were "Take care of your family" to my father. She died of metastasized breast cancer

My dad was on his way out. I got the call and caught a flight out. My sisters and brother were there with Dad and he had been out of it for hours. My siblings had said in my Dad's presence that I would be in at 10:00. They meant arriving at the airport. A couple of hours later, my Dad spoke and asked what time it was? They said it was 10:00. He had never opened his eyes. He died a few minutes later. We all think he thought I was there, that were were all there.

According to my cousin, When my aunt (his mother) died on mothersday in the 90's, the whole family present were convinced she saw death coming for her. My aunt had a long sickbed. Many times they thought that her time had come, but she pulled trough every time. Therefor nobody thought that that day would be it. my cousin claims that in heingh seight they could have known. because her little pet bird would always sing throughout the day. That morning the bird had no song to sing. having coffee with my aunt on her bed in the Livingroom, she suddenly looked at the window and started pointing. (due to the sickness she lost the ability to speak weeks earlier). Her children and husband didn't know what she was pointing at. eventually thinking that she was pointing at the driveway, they tried to make clear to her that everybody had arrived, nobody is coming. she kept shaking her head in frustration and kept pointing. at one point she put her arms up and down, gesturing "nevermind". shortly after it became clear she was really not well, and from there on it went very fast. Once they realized they had to call the doctor, she died just after they finished the call. Just seconds after she passed away her little birdie, that had been quiet all morning, started to sing the most beautiful melody. They went out of the room, try to breath a little after the shock, and one of my female cousins looking into the room, said that she saw an angel standing at the bed. but the most mind-blowing thing is that the clock in the living room stopped around the time my cousin claimed to have seen the angel. they were all present, and they all knew very well that nobody could have tempert with it. I myslef am not the religious type. both sides of my family are not really religious. yeah some hear the calling of spirituality. But we see it more as a personal thing. This happend on my mothers side of the family. And i can assure you, that bloodline has something about it... don't get me started about my grandfathers funeral, and the evil priest. xD But this one is about people passing away... so here is my story.

For story #47 and the Paramedic saying she's going to die anyway: emergency responders are trained so that in a mass casualty incident (any situation in which the injuries overwhelm the available resources), they "do the most good for the most people." Resources during emergencies like that are limited and he's right that she 99% would've died before she got to the hospital due to blood loss. At the very least, it would've taken three EMS providers to transport her to the hospital. Meanwhile, there may be another patient(s) with life-threatening injuries who will likely survive if they are given medical treatment fast enough and you just have to decide where the resources will be best spent. Where do you want your providers in a mass casualty incident: working on one patient with a 1% chance of survival, or all of them working independently with multiple critical patients with a 50% chance of survival? It's a shitty situation, but at least where I was a provider, "do the most good for the most people" was drilled into our heads regarding triage. They had to do something very similar in ICUs at the beginning of the pandemic with ventilators. There weren't enough to go around, so they went to who had the best chance of survival.

I love listening to your content and would definitely listen even more if this was available on Spotify in an audio format. Can you add this content to Spotify? Thanks.