An Honest Answer
I had a patient who was perfectly fine. But when I came back the next night, they’d taken a turn for the worse. They’d had a massive stroke mid-morning. The family had decided against surgery due to age factors and other things.
The wife was telling me they had a good life together and had been married for about 40–50 years. She kept vigil at the bedside all night. All the kids and grandkids were there too. I told them although the patient was unconscious, they could still hear.
So, I encouraged the family to keep talking to them and tell them everything they wanted to say before it was too late. Around 4 AM, I could tell the patient was close to the end, and the wife asked me if it was time. I gave her an honest answer. Her reaction haunts me to this day.
She became inconsolable, clutching the patient’s hand. She kept crying that she wasn’t ready to say goodbye, that she had so many other plans for them to live out.
She said that she didn’t want them to go, and she wished she hadn’t withdrawn treatment so that they could have more time together. The patient passed 15 minutes later. Story credit: Reddit / Responsible_Cloud_92