Today, I am sad that following the objections voiced by 3 users on the forum, I have excluded the quote from my Bible text (1 Corinthians 15:52) that would be at the start of my post. Nothing in the site guidelines states that sharing Bible verses is wrong or forbidden. And the Bible is what brought me my comfort and I know it would bring comfort to others as well who would read my very long story. Perhaps in future I will include a warning on the topic like they use in movies that contain profane language and explicit nudity so that some people who find the Bible offensive to them may avoid reading my posts. Yet I would like to remind people that in the UK, human rights are protected by the Human Rights Act 1998. And my whole reason for sharing is to help someone else not to hurt another at the same time… So perhaps those who find my religious views to be out of line with theirs can avoid my posts altogether. Anyway, below is my story that I will share for today (minus the Bible text) about my wife’s dying moments. This is my story and not fiction and I cannot go back and remove my religious involvement that characterised my life even back then because someone will be offended. So I can only say if you can’t bear to learn that I was praying and singing even in hospital then you should stop reading at this point :
I had spent more than 24 hours in the hospital and I was full of fatigue and exhaustion. A friend finally persuaded me to go home and sleep a little. They assured me they would stay by her side until I returned. With much reluctance I went home and left John, a nurse by profession and Georginah,
my sister in law in the private ward my wife was laying in.
When I reached home I fell down on my knees and cried out to God. I begged Him to do a miracle and restore Mandy’s health. Then I took a much needed shower before getting about an hour of sleep. Which sleep was really just a horizontal body in bed but an active restless head.
When I reached the hospital I was told a doctor had been there and that she wanted to speak to me. She came back and called me out of the room to talk to me privately. She said to me that the sounds of Mandy’s cries were now the sounds made by someone who is clinging to dear life in
their final moments. She asked if I wanted them to turn off her life support or leave it still going. I told her to do whatever they can to keep her alive and that I was going to talk to my God.
I went back inside the room and stood next to Mandy’s bed and talked to her. She wasn’t responding much but that didn’t stop me. I told her I was going to pray and she nodded. Holding her hand, I prayed and committed her life to God. I prayed for a miracle healing against the hopeless situation
everyone was giving up on. My faith was not shaken and I sincerely believed
a miracle could happen for her. I prayed out loud and later my sister in law
was to tell me that I was a bit too loud!
On the chair behind me was a netbook softly playing some songs. Just as soon as my prayer ended a familiar favourite of ours started playing. With her hand still in mine I joined in and sang the song for her from start to finish. For the song, I was conscious that I was not singing very softly. But
I sang from my heart. The song I sang was the song, “He’ll Do It Again”.
It was not long after I finished singing that the beeping sounds from the life support machines increased in tempo. Her breathing became slower and slower and then it stopped while the machine beep changed into one continuous long tone.
Mandy went to sleep and rested from all the cares of this world. I have
no doubt in my mind that she died in the Lord. I look forward to the resurrection day much more than I ever did before because I do want to meet her again. In a twinkling of an eye we shall all be changed.
My peace comes from this hope that the dead shall be raised. Today, may you find your peace in this too.