Dad
I had the conversation with my parent.
He died peacefully - the way he wanted.
After my Dad was diagnosed with end stage heart failure, I met with my parents and sister and we had the conversation. We discussed all the hard stuff – funeral, money, Mom’s coping behavior using alcohol. It was a wonderful gift that brought us closer together and we would periodically revisit his wishes as his condition declined. When faced with his last days, my Mom especially was comforted knowing that even though she wanted more time with him using all available medical technology, he wanted to die peacefully and pain free without ‘tubes’. It relieved her from the pressure when a resident pushed for a last ditch heart transplant. He died peacefully – the way he wanted.