I was sure mom's last words would be "I'm done", which she said eight days ago. But on Wednesday afternoon mom woke up and her eyes looked focused for the first time in days. She said "hello" and then stayed awake talking, laughing and smiling for twenty minutes. She was weak and quiet, so I couldn't always make out what she was saying. She would smile and shrug when I couldn't understand (like she's done since the stroke when she couldn't find the right words). When she became too weak to speak, I did most of the talking and she responded appropriately.

Mom has now gone twelve days with only five ounces of fluid, and eight days with none at all. She does not swallow her medication, it is absorbed through the inside of her cheek. People who voluntarily give up eating and drinking can sometimes live for two weeks, but mom lost her ability to swallow when her body began shutting down. Most people in her condition live for only three or four days without fluids.

I have been sleeping in mom's room since Sunday and yesterday the chaplain hinted for me to leave for a while. She suggested mom might sense my presence and not want to slip away while I was in the room. I left for a few hours to run errands and visit with a friend. When I returned, mom's door was closed and this note was attached to the door frame.