Joan Allen

My mother took her final breath on Friday, January 25 at 7:35 pm. It was a good death and one of the most spiritual experiences I have ever had.
She was diagnosed less than a year ago and entered hospice care only 5 days earlier. She suddenly took a turn for the worse on the very day she died. We certainly did not expect it to come so soon but it happened just the way I was hoping it would. With all of us kids there. We all held her and talked to her the hours leading up to her death. We cried together and we laughed together. Even mom got out a few good smiles only an hour before her death. We all told her how much we loved her and we thanked her. After we all wept my mom found the strength to call out all 4 of our names one by one. Then we cried some more. We let her know that we were there. Just after that her lungs began crackling. She made her last motion with her hands. She was trying to feel my sisters and brothers hand and feeling their wedding rings. My sister had thought she was trying to tell us that she wanted her wedding rings on that she had taken off last year ( My dad died almost 6 years ago). After she found the rings and put them on her hand she began to die. We were all with her as she let out her last breath. Kissing her and holding her. Then we laid her hands across her chest and she peacefully went away.
She was in pretty severe pain for about 30 minutes that night but we got it under control. I am so proud of her for the way she handled everything. She faced death like a champ. With dignity and grace. I feel so blessed and thankful to God that it went the way it did. It was such a powerful, bonding experience. Now she is in heaven with dad, her sister, and parents, and her favorite dog, Sunny.