Who We Are
Reflections on a Dying Patient
Steven Lusk is a chaplain for Hospice of The Gorge, an ordained minister, and a PhD theologian.
We asked him if he could share with us something about one of his patients that would help people gain some insight into the process of dying. This is what he told us.
The Woman He Remembered
The woman I’m thinking about was an older woman, and had lived a very full life. She was also a very spiritual person, and the first female moderator of her church. During her life she acknowledged the fact that death would be a reality at some point, so she planned for it, made all the necessary arrangements in advance, and lived her life to the fullest. She was a remarkable woman.
She Told Him of a Dream that She Had
In the course of my helping her through her end-of-life process, she told me she had had a dream where her brother Lester appeared to her. He was her favorite brother, but he died a young man at the age of 30.
In the course of the dream, she said that Lester wanted to give her a gift, but that she didn’t know if she should take it or not. So I asked her if she thought Lester loved her, and if she trusted Lester. She said yes, she did.
On that basis, I suggested that she accept the gift.
She Took the Gift Offered in the Dream
She fell asleep shortly after that, but about two hours later she woke up and said she had taken the gift. She actually startled me with this announcement, because quite honestly, I wasn’t really reading all that much into what she had had previously told me about the gift. But I asked her what it was, and she said that it was the gift of eternal life.
In hindsight as I thought about this, I think that by taking that gift, she was telling me that she was ready to die.
She stopped taking any food after that, but went on to live another two weeks.
She Had a Vision of Rolling Hills
Coupled with that vision, she had another vision —one of green rolling hills and wild flowers. She told me there were all kinds of people in her vision, speaking all kinds of languages, and that she was going to have to learn how to speak French.
And rather remarkably, the last time I saw her, she said her boat was coming. She waved goodbye and said “au revoir!”
This very special lady was my mother.
I'm Here at Hospice Today Because of Her
I’m here at hospice today because I know that these kinds of stories are possible for us all. We each have a different spin on things, but we each have the capacity to die peaceful, if not joyous deaths, and hospice is here to help in that process.
