“To experience the joy on someone’s face when they’re dying and their dog’s been to see them is priceless.”
Have you ever wondered what really goes through someone’s mind before they die?
Talking to the BBC, nurses from the Royal Stoke University Hospital in the UK recalled some of the moving things their patients have shared with them in their final days.
This ranges from their biggest regrets and fears to some even stating that they’d witnessed glimpses of heaven.
And Daily Mail reports that research from the University of North Carolina found terminally ill people and those on death row are more positive than might be expected.
Most patients use their time with family or religion to ease anxiety.
In a video clip uploaded by the BBC, nurses list some of the heart-rending things their patients have shared:
1. One nurse described how a couple simply wanted their beds pushed together, so they could lay side-by-side, hold hands and sing Slow Boat To China together.
2. Another said a patient shared some wise words about regret: “Life is too short, do the things that you want, do the things that make you happy.”
3. Some patients reported having seen glimpses of heaven and described it as “wonderful”.
4. Another nurse described what she calls a “common final wish”: people just want to have a party and then go. “We’ve had people say, ‘I’m 80 in a couple of weeks and I’ll have my 80th birthday. I’ll have my party, and then I’ll go’.”
5. Patients also just wanted to be with their pets! “To experience the joy on someone’s face when they’re dying and their dog’s been to see them is priceless,” said one of the nurses.