Over on Quora , doctors, nurses, caregivers, and loved ones have shared their experiences being present for the final moments of someone's life...
and hearing their last words. These last words can be heartbreaking, life-affirming, spiritual, befuddling — even hilarious — but they're always fascinating. Here's what they had to say: (You can see some of the full threads here , here , and here .
) 1. "In the hospital, I met a nice man in his early 50s, a long-term alcoholic whose name was Lester. We got to know each other quite well.
I was in for an alcohol detox. When he crashed, it was horrendous; he very quickly ballooned in various places of his body, neck, stomach, and leg and started leaking fluid. It was frightening to watch, and I could see he was terrified.
Despite all the machines and doctors whizzing around him, no one comforted him, so I shared some reassuring words while holding his hand. Just before he left us, Lester motioned to pull his breathing apparatus away from his face, and struggling to breathe, he looked up at me with despair in his eyes and raspily croaked, 'What happened to my life?'" "He was then rushed to the ICU, where he passed 10 minutes later. It still haunts me to this day and still brings me to tears recounting it.
I'm now 35, sober, in treatment, and I will never forget that moment. It taught me a lot — such a waste of life." — Tom Evans , Quora 2.
"I had a patient scream, 'I will not get vaccinated!!' right before we had to intubate him.
