Has anyone had this happen to them?

[Claire]

Babetoo's message about a very sick friend made me stop and think of something that happened to me a few years ago. My husband's best friend's brother had cancer. I'd spent several happy holidays with him, but didn't know him well. But when he got sick, we made a point of calling him every once in awhile, and sending cards regularly. He sent us photos of a Christmas we'd spent together, and replied to all of our cards.

When his time came, we were sitting here (in IL, he was a Virginian), and his son called and told us that his Dad wanted to speak to us. He came on the phone and told us how much we meant to him, and how much he appreciated our support in his last days, and Good-Bye.

I will always remember that, and hope that I have that much courage when my time comes.

Over the subsequent couple of years, I've asked friends if anyone ever did that for them. That is to say, called to say good-bye. No one has.

 

[kitchenelf]

My ex-brother-in-law called me to tell me good-bye. It was the last day he talked. He also told me that I WAS a good mother and a good person in spite of what his brother proclaimed. His last words were...

"My biggest fear is that people will forget me, please, don't forget me."

We live less than a block away from where he is buried and I drive by several times a day so I get to say "hey" to him often.

I know exactly how that call made you feel Claire.

 

[licia]

My mother in law lived with us the last year of her life. She had cancer and we took her to appointments, etc. The Saturday night before she died, she called me to her side in the hospital and told me it may be the last chance she had to talk to me and told me how much she appreciated all the things we had done to make her comfortable and how much love we had shown her. She had never been able to talk about her condition with her sons, but felt she could talk to me whenever she needed to. We had gotten along well but I never realized how important we really were to her til then. I was with her when the doctor said to call her sons as she was about to pass. Since then I've never felt that death was morbid like I had felt before and was even able to care for my own dad til he passed also. I hope my children will feel the peace I felt with each of them when my time comes.

 

[LadyCook61]

My 30 yr. old niece was in a coma from a car crash, I flew down to N.C to be with my sister and her daughter (my niece) She was on life support, my sister and her family decided to take her off life support . I'm glad I was there to say good bye, whether she knew I was there or not. This was in Aug. 2005.
Also I was with my mom when she passed in 1988 , in the hospital.

 

[Claire]

As a military person, we tended not to be around when our loved ones passed away. Back in those days, yes, even up to the late 60s, phone calls were prohibitive, and if your relatives were thousands of miles away, chances were even if you could get a cheap or free space A flight, you wouldn't be there in time anyway. I didn't go to a real funeral until I was in my 40s! I still have my parents, thank heaven. This was just the first time someone had called me to say good-bye and thank you.