The Last Days/What Does End-of-Life Look like, Really?
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We always knew what we wanted for her . . . and so we let her go.
Our newborn’s end of life: “his life was short, beautiful, what it was meant to be.”
A quiet end to my son’s life
Extubating my son: “My heart wanted a few more years but he was so tired and I had to accept that. I didn’t want him to suffer anymore.”
Avoiding a traumatic medical death: Learning our baby could not tolerate intubation and deciding he would not have it again.
The day he died, we weren’t expecting it.
Staying with the body: Mom didn’t feel like she needed to be in there with him; Dad did.
Being the Aunt: Staying with his body.
Our son’s last day: “We knew we had done everything possible for him. It was right, despite how wrong it was.”
Parenting a Medically Complex Child: My son's peaceful end-of-life
Peeling things back at the end is tough. It’s so tangible in terms of what it reflects.
Dialing back feeding at the end: looking for indications that the body isn’t tolerating feeds.
How much longer is this going to take? I felt guilty for feeling I couldn’t deal with weeks of her struggle.
I did feel a sense of relief after the kids died. They were so sick.
I remember his breathing but I don’t remember other stuff.
How long was this part of the journey going to take?
A child can be comfortable right to the end.
You are capable of seeing this through.
What we can expect in the final days.
We encourage holding the child.
I wasn’t afraid because I’m a planner
His final moment was so peaceful and it was perfect for him.
The last 24 hours: We were not ready for it. “Wait a minute, we’re off script.”
It was beautiful.
The last hour of Talon's life, and letting go.
