When it’s your father’s last breathing moment and he has one request, would you do it?
Penelope’s father has been battling chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) for a long time now and his time on earth is about to come to an end. This is going to be their last moment together with her father alive.
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That’s why Penelope and her mom decided to fulfill her dad’s last wish, to have Bundaberg rum & cola again.
She snuck in his favorite drink at the hospital during the last visit.
“I came prepared for the send-off,” Penelope declared on her video.
Penelope brought in an injection syringe, which she used to make it easier to put the drink in his mouth.
She squeezed a small amount of the drink into her father’s mouth, which he loved. He was nodding excitedly upon the taste of his favorite drink.
Penelope caught this exchange all 15 minutes on video but only posted a 27-second clip on her TikTok account.
“One last drink with dad before his spirit returned to the universe. Until we cross paths again old man. I love you. #grief#griefjourney#loss#goodbye,” Penelope wrote on her TikTok post.
Because Penelope’s father is at the end of his life, he is receiving palliative care, which assists in making a dying patient’s last moments as comfortable as possible. Her father is in the hospital, where he can receive 24/7 health care provided by medical professionals.
This is especially helpful and necessary for a dying patient who has no one in his life to visit him.
The hospital can give him the mental and emotional support he needs, aside from his medical needs. Some of them are going to be in distress and will be very depressed or anxious. And some of them don’t want to be alone at the end of their life.
Palliative care nurses and caregivers will set a comforting mood for them. They’ll also be present with them, to share stories with them (even if they can’t talk back), or read to them.
And the dying patient will always have a last wish or request before they finally go.
In most cases, the caregivers or nurse will do their best to fulfill the wish, as long as it’s legal and possible.
Fulfilling a dying wish is very important, especially for the patient.
“The request for a dying wish signifies that the patient is aware of their impending death and, therefore, open and honest conversations often follow. When achieved, dying wishes serve to pacify the dying person and, therefore, have a positive impact on how people think and feel about their life, and how they die,” Dr. Brian Nyatanga, Senior Lecturer and Academic Lead for Centre for Palliative Care at University of Worcester, wrote for the British Journal of Community Nursing.
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Watch the video below on how Penelope and her mom fulfilled her dad’s last wish.
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