Deathbed Experiences

[NY Disney fan]

Last night my mom went to a wake of someone she used to know (had a long bout of cancer). And the family of this man said that moments before his death he gave the thumbs up that he was ready to go. He told his family I don't want you to be sad when I go. He gave the thumbs up as if he was ready and then died.

Do people know when they are going to die on their deatbed? I have heard some facinating stories of people who see angels and stuff right when they die.

 

[golfgal]

This is a long story so I will condense:

Several years ago DH and I were in a church group. One woman in the group mother passed away and she shared this with us. The day before her mom died they thought she slipped into a coma. She was in this 'state' for several hours and suddenly woke up. The first thing she said was "what am I doing back here?". She told her DD that she had been in heaven. She talked about the things she saw-many details, not enough post space to go into it-but the most memorable one for me was she saw children waiting to go to earth and they were picking the families they wanted to live with.

Fast forward about 5 years and we were at a party for work, in another town, in another state. One of the wives was talking about kids and some of the strange things they say. She was telling us her then 3 year old son was talking about when he was in heaven and didn't want to go live with them but God told him it would be ok so he went. .

 

[NY Disney fan]

Oh Lord, I know this thread is going to make me cry!

 

[luvwinnie]

I find these stories fascinating as well. My mom was on dialysis for 4 years and then 8 months before she passed away she had an aortic tear from an aneurysm. Her chances of surviving the surgery to repair were very slim, but she did...however, she never regained her quality of life. She was in and out of the hospital for the next 8 months. On a Saturday we spent the entire day in the hospital with her. It was sheer TORTURE...dialysis patients, when not getting sufficient dialysis, get extreme nausea...she literally vomited/dry heaved for about 12 hours. NO ONE should have to go through that or see a loved one suffer like that. The next day we went to the hospital expecting to see her exhausted and drained...nope, she was up doing a crossword, quite perky and happy and insisted on FINISHING the book she was reading. She also asked my dad to get her an ice cream soda. She hadn't had ice cream in 4 years...not really allowed on dialysis. So she had one of her favorite treats the night before she passed away. She also said to my father and brother "Do you hear that bell?" No one else heard bells. My niece said to my brother when she left "Grandma was looking at me as if she was never going to see again." My mom passed away at 4:30 that morning. To make things "stranger" both my sister and I woke up at that time. I literally JUMPED so hard I woke my husband and he said "what's wrong?" I replied "I don't know. I felt like I couldn't breathe". My mom and i were very ver close. Doesn't surprise me I somehow felt her "go" on some level. My sister just woke up feeling restless. We have no doubt my mom was ready...her body just could not take anymore.

 

[laurie31]

After 22 years of nursing, I have seen this happen TONS of times. Sometimes the patient's last words happen a few days before they actually die, if they slip into unconsciousness/unresponsiveness for awhile before they go (usually chronic lung disease patients) or sometimes they kind of wake up at the very end and say things.

Many people see angels or family members who have gone on before them, or even scenes from Heaven itself. In fact, DH's aunt passed away last month, after suffering from cancer for several years. At the end, she saw her mother, and also her brother who had died at 2 months of age.

A lady in our church who recently died of cancer had been fairly unresponsive for a couple of days. She opened her eyes, and got a look of pure joy on her face and exclaimed, "Oh! It's so beautiful!" and then died.

The book, Ninety Minutes in Heaven is a great read for those who are interested in this topic. I couldn't put it down.

 

[LindaR]

When my dad was in the hospital after a stroke (age 53), he was telling us about a "dream" that he had. Now his speech was very slowed and slurred and it was VERY frustrating for daddy to talk, but he did. Growing up, we were never "religious" so this was very significant. He dreamed of HIS dad who had died also of a stroke telling him to "come on, it's ok"......

Daddy had two more strokes and fell into a coma. Almost all of his brain function had ceased. He then developed an infection throughout his body and we let him go. I always had a sense of peace because daddy was with his family......

 

[mansionterror]

A lady I worked with had cancer and ended up passing away from a cancer related stroke. She passed away at home with her family there with her, she actually woke them up from sleep (yelling from the bed) and told them she was going fishing and went to sleep, never to wake again.

They knew she had seen her father who died many years before. He was a fisherman.

 

[XTinabell]

When my sweet greatgrandma was in her last moments she told my gramma that she loved everyone and was going to go now. And then she went. So sad, but I kinda like it because I feel like she was ready and in a sense almost her choice.

 

[sue1013]

My grandfather had been in and out of the hospital with pneumonia the last couple weeks of his life. Just couldn't get rid of it. He was at home sitting in his recliner he told my uncle he needed help to get to the bathroom. As my uncle was walking with him he said it's almost time for me to go I don't want to mess my pants when I do. My uncle said where are you going? He replied we both know it's time. He made it back to his recliner died a few minutes later.

 

[testifyoncruises]

I have seen people absolutely terrified of who was coming to get them as they died.

Think the shadow people in Ghost.

 

[daannzzz]

My Aunt was at the end of a long illness and was in great pain but on loads of morphine. The doctors said she would pass while under the effects of the drug. We sat by her side for hours. They would come in and turn her and she would moan slightly but not wake up. Around 4:00 in the morning I looked over and her eyes were wide open. We went over and held her hands and talked to her. I don't know if she saw us at all but she seemed to be looking past us. She died as we were talking to her.

 

[happywanderer2]

it's funny this thread came up, because I was just thinking about what happened to me when I was about 6 or 7. This memory is as clear to me today as if it happened yesterday, and I don't know about anyone else but I don't have alot of memories of when I was 6 or 7--at least not this clear.

A little background first. When I was about 5 I had my tonsils and adnoids(sp) out and everything seemed fine. When I was about 6 or 7 I started to get these spontaneous nosebleed, and I mean gushers. They seemed to happen at night for some reason. My parents took me to the dr.and (from what my mom says) he told them he thought it was a anomolous blood vessel from my adnoids and should clear up on its own. If it didn't they'd have to do surgery. Well, after a while they did seem to stop. This is the interesting part and the above is why I believe I had "crossed over" I think I may have bleed while sleeping deeply on my back and was choking.

Anyway, this is the part I remember so vividly--even after 45 years. I remember walking down a beautiful garden path. There were a lot of people that I encountered on the path that seemed to know me, even though I had never seen them before. I believe now that these were family that had gone before. I got to a small house and walked into a room with a door that I seemed compelled to go to. The door opened and a bright white light emanated from it and I felt the most intense feeling of love and joy that I had ever felt then or since. I started walking towards the door when a voice come out of it and told me it wasn't my time yet. I felt this feeling of rushing backwards and then I woke up choking.

Now, please remember this was the early 1960's before there was mention of the tunnel and bright light afterdeath experience. Plus, I was 6 or 7 and my reading was pretty much limited to Dr.Suess. I believe it was a true after/near death experience and since then I have never feared death or dying.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Some of you know my story from last year...

I actually only had 15 minutes left to live. I did "feel" like I was dying. I even asked the dr., "Am I dying?". She just looked at me strangely. I knew it was not good. I felt like I was choking to death.

After my surgery they put me in a coma for 2 days. I know they say you can hear in a coma etc., I told my dh who was by my bedside for almost the whole time that I actually never heard or felt anything.

I am also religious and I never saw God,Jesus, angels,heaven,lights etc. I guess God has a reason for me to stay here right now for sure. I am so blessed.

 

[iwrbnd]

I have seen people absolutely terrified of who was coming to get them as they died.

Think the shadow people in Ghost.

That's scary!

 

[iwrbnd]

I find it interesting that even people who have been blind since birth see people, light, colors and everything! Amazing!

I read about a pediatrician who was at a little girl's bedside when she died. He said she sat up in bed and said "Can you see them mommy? They're so beautiful!" Then she died. Gives me chills!

 

[Arielle22]

My mom passed away from breast cancer that spread into her brain. For her last 6 weeks she was in a nursing home. The day before she died she went downhill very quickly. I called my 7 siblings to come see her. We took turns sitting with her, first the girls and then the boys.

At the end of the night she looked at the end of her bed and said "Hi Jack". Jack was my father who had died 13 years before. I am sure he was there with her at the end.

 

[swandiverpatt]

My story is a "reverse" kind of story.

My mother was in cardiac ICU for a month, on a ventilator, unconscious, after a botched heart bypass. Every day we'd go in and visit with her, talk to her, rub her feet, etc.

One morning I dreamed that she was in my bed with me, in her hospital gown. We were both sitting up and she looked *wonderful*. Hair was beautiful, she looked younger than she had for a long time. She was giggling, so hard her shoulders were shaking and she looked absolutely joyous.

I wasn't surprised when we got called back to the hospital that evening and she passed with all of us there. I believe she came to me in my dreams that morning to let me know she was going and she was happy about it.

 

[Tinkerbelle's Mom]

My died of lung cancer a little over six years ago. After a long battle we finally brought her home to give her some rest from all the chemo.

We knew she was dying we just did not know how long she had.

About a week before she died she started talking about getting ready for church that they were waiting for her.

The night before she died, she had basically stopped talking at this point, she asked me when she could be done. I told her that I loved her and she could be done whenever she was ready.

My mom and I were extremely close and I know she was asking me if it was okay to let go.

I sat with her that entire night because I knew she was going to die. It was one of the most peaceful nights I have ever had.

In the morning I went up to shower and take care of my dd. I was gone about 20 minutes. That is when she died. My mom being the most private person in the world waited until she was alone to let go.

 

[2binak]

I truly believe that some people do know when they are going to die. I also believe that some people allow themselves go when they feel that time is right.

In the weeks before my mother passed away, she talked quite a bit to me about the things she loved to do as a child or when us kids were younger. It was strange because she wasn't the type to really do that. One night, she took my sister into a room and said, "If anything should ever happen to me, here are all of my important papers." Two weeks later mom had a heart attack.

My aunt's children were with her when she passed. She had been on dialysis for years and had a few mini heart attacks over the course of a few months. She was lying in the hospital bed and told her kids that she was very tired and was ready to go but that she worried what they would do if she left them. They assured her that they would be ok and one of them told her "Close your eyes and go to Dad" (their father had passed many years earlier). She asked, "Are you sure?" They all said yes. She closed her eyes, took two breaths and passed away.

 

[krcit]

Wow. These stories are beautiful. Making me cry.