Most people don’t get to choose their last words because they don’t know exactly when death’s going to creep up on them. And very few people are around for more than one person’s last words – unless you’re in medicine.
People who work in hospitals deal with death all the time, so they’ve been privy to many last moments, and heard some incredibly poignant last words.
Here are some of the most interesting last words that people heard, shared on AskReddit.
1. Who says?
“Grandpa, tough as nails. Had four heart attacks, each one worse than the last, lived 25 years beyond all expectations. He liked to tell jokes to the EMTs before defibrillator use, hoping they might be his last words. He was funny and stubborn and sweet.
When he finally went, my mom tried to fix his oxygen mask, “daddy, you need to wear this” and he looked at her, pulled it off, and said “pfft. Who says.” Then he died.
I like it. I think it was fitting.”
2. Interesting…
“My grandma was in the hospital, and we knew she would die in the next weeks. A nurse came in for her sport program, my grandma looked at her, said “I don’t want to do sports now”,closed her eyes and just died.
I love her for that sentence because now, years later, it’s kinda funny.”
3. What a way to go
“For a lot of people their brains are just kinda going haywire to cope with the fact that they’re dying. In a thread just like this but specifically about nursing homes, a nurse said that her “favorite” last words was an old lady who looked like and thought she was just eating this massive, delicious cheeseburger, then she faded out to nothing.”
4. I think I’ll go
“Paramedic here. Unfortunately seen the end of many people’s lives, some in a much nicer way than others. Had a gentleman who was incredibly unwell, family were with him too. We stayed to offer support and ensure he was comfortable in the last stages of his journey. His last words were “she’s here now, I think I’ll go”. The patients wife explained that they had lost a daughter at a young age, and we believe that’s who he saw before he died.”
5. Flashbacks
“He was a Vietnam vet, and I stayed on the line with him as long as I could. He first said he was feeling off and weak and as his brain started short circuiting he started rambling then yelling about “the LZ is hot requesting immediate evacuation we have heavy casualties”.
I guess it was some memory from the war, but the panic in his voice was palpable and heartbreaking. He went out reliving what was probably the worst moments of his life before the stroke effected him to the point his words turned into a garbled mess.”
6. Scared
“Nurse was assisting a not-very-nice elderly woman terminal patient, who fully expected all her deceased family members to show up to take her with them up to heaven. Not long before she died, the elderly woman said in a scared voice:
“They’re not coming.” “
7. Waiting for St. Peter
“I once had a patient that put his call light on. When I went in to see what he needed, he said “could you please turn off the lights? I’d like to wait for St. Peter in the dark.” Sure enough, by the time I went in there with his evening medications about an hour later, he had already died.”
8. Seldom memorable
“Doctor here.
The thing is, people’s last words are seldom ever memorable, because anytime people have something meaningful or coherent, let alone humorous or profound, they are definitely not dying.
After that delirium sets in and they most often mumble incoherently if they say anything at all.
By the time they proceed to imminent death, most often no one remembers the last meaningful communication they attempted.
For trauma patients that arrive coherent but proceed to death due to gravity of their injuries, they are mostly Just answering directed questions about their health history, substance abuse, past surgery, time of last meal, etc. The last thing that anyone present for their head injury, though, might frequently have been the proverbial “hold my beer.”
Sometimes people have profound or inspiring things to say when they have a terminal diagnosis the last time we see them before they transition to hospice care, especially those who have or are in the process of achieving acceptance of their mortality.”
9. I’m sorry
“Former paramedic here. 1st witnessed death for me was a 56 year old man that had passed out at the dining table with his daughter while they were having lunch. We get there and he’s talking normally. Blood pressure was a little elevated, but otherwise all other vital signs and heart rhythm is within normal limits. He mentioned he needed to use the restroom before we went to the hospital, so my male partner stood at the door to the bathroom just in case.
His daughter thought we were being weird, but we let her know that sometimes it’s one of the last things a patient wants to do, so we were being cautious. He finished up, courteously washed his hands and we got him into our ambulance. About 30 seconds later, he started apologizing for taking up our time and wasting the resources on him. He said “I’m just so sorry that you have to waste your time on me,” took a deep breath and died.
His daughter was following us to the hospital and watched me straddling her father, doing CPR as she got out of her vehicle. He didn’t make it and she asked me if he said anything. I told her what he said, and she broke down in front of me. She told me that it sounded exactly like something he would have said, but had wished that it was more profound.”
10. Don’t forget…
“3rd yr med student here. “Weird” and equally heart wrenching… 68 yr old man dying of metastatic lung cancer (with a 9 yr old daughter) turns to his wife just minutes before his last breath and says “don’t forget to feed the cat, she likes dry food in the morning and wet food at night”. “
11. Comforting
“Just before my dad died he said “My wife and wee lassie are here”. My sister died aged six in 1970. Those words were a great comfort to me.”
12. Stop preaching!
“My mum saw angels. She wasn’t best pleased about it because she said “get those bloody Christians away from me, they’re preaching at me and shining” she lived for a week longer than expected. A couple of times she told them to bugger off and stop preaching! She had terminal lung cancer.”
13. Grandma knows best
“Not a doctor or nurse, but my grandmas last words to me were “I hope you dump that tramp”
I did, G-Ma, I did.”
14. Dad
“My dads were “this dying stuff is hard work” “
15. Counting
“My father went into cardiac arrest on the couch after a few horrible months of ALS (we didn’t know he had ALS until after the autopsy). While passing he just kept counting. We have no idea why.”
