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How Will You Act On Your Deathbed?
It’s time to contemplate it
I recently wrote about watching my dad die. How it changed me forever.
I’ll never forget holding his hand, crying with my mom and sister, and watching him spit up in one final gasp.
It has really helped my grieving process to write about the experience. So many of the comments I’ve received have been incredibly supportive, inspiring, and filled with love. It has been an incredible reminder of how great the community can be at Medium.
The comments also made me realize, however, that death is not discussed enough. While some may not have witnessed death in the raw like I recently did, many had stories to tell.
Losing a loved one. Losing a friend. Losing the chance to ever speak to someone again.
I noticed though that few people commented on their own mortality. For me, the only emotion that has rivaled grief after the loss of my dad is fear. That death may be around the corner, lurking in the shadows ready to strike.
It struck my dad out of nowhere. One day he was seemingly fine, the next he received a stage IV cancer diagnosis.
What would you do? How would you spend your final two years of life (or less)? And when the time comes, how will you act on your deathbed?