Dying and Knowing When

My Brother 66 recently died of bowel cancer and he asked that very question from the Doctor at the hospice, her reply was that he would start to feel tired and stay in or go to bed more often, he would become more unsteady on his feet as he became weaker and would stop eating as his organs would start to shut down. 

A couple of weeks ago I was supposed to pick him up and take him for his hospital appointment. He answered the door but said he couldn’t make the appointment as he was unsteady on his feet, he was also unable to focus properly (I put that down to the medication he was taking) but he asked me to go to the shop for some food but he couldn’t think what he wanted so I said I would get his favorites, he never touched the food and following a fall in the early hours he took to his bed, the hospice staff were wonderful and came to the house and made him comfortable and placed him on a medication driver, he did not wake again after that but for the next few days he was surrounded by our big Irish family, we sang Irish songs to him and he passed away peacefully and on the wings of love.

Edit: I am amazed and touched by the incredible response my answer had. My Brother Laurence told me about Quora when I took him for his very first appointment, the day he was told he had cancer so it’s even more poignant that his story has had such a reaction. I’ve tried hard to answer all the comments… Some made me cry, some made my heart soar. Thank you so much ❤️