05/11/2020
One of the conversations I enjoy most with the patients I visit is about the visions they see. The other day I was with a gentleman who shared that he has been seeing people in his room, mostly men. He is not afraid of them, they seem like they are there to help him feel less alone.
I asked if he talked to them; he told me he didn't know what to say, so we discussed things he could ask them. He asked me if this meant he was dying soon. My response was that while yes... he is dying, I did not believe they are representative of the time frame. I told him I thought that maybe being near death allowed him to be more receptive to their presence and they knew that, which is why they were there. This seemed an acceptable answer to him.
I saw him again the following day and he told me that he started to talk to them, they didn't say words, but he felt their answers, one of which was that he was safe and not to be afraid, which he welcomed. Then he proceeded to tell me that his two dogs who had passed away came to see him. A tear rolled down his cheek. He said they jumped on his bed and curled up next to him.
I would like to think that when I am near death, my dog Jack will curl up next to me...
