As a member of an 11th Hour Team, I will sit bedside with patients whose doctors expect them to die within 24 hours.  These 11th hour shifts usually occur during the wee hours, when family members or loved ones either need respite or are simply unable to be with the patient.

On this occasion, I arrived at 3am to sit with Tom, an 89-year-old man living alone in an assisted living facility.  After receiving an update from Dianne, my fellow 11th Hour Team member, I turned off the TV and dimmed the lights to a very low glow.  I then pulled a chair to Tom’s bedside, quietly introduced myself to him and took his hand in mine.  I silently conveyed to Tom that I was simply a soul, like him, there to accompany him on this final leg of his journey and that I was prepared to serve him in any way he needed me.  I silently asked for any spirit guides or angels that could support Tom’s transition to come to his aid.  In my mind’s eye, I saw Tom and me walking together down a path.  Recalling that his wife had died three months earlier, I sensed that she was ready to welcome him over.  I silently told her that Tom was ready to go. I then whispered to Tom that it was OK for him to let go and that his wife was waiting for him.  Over the next minute, without opening his eyes, Tom raised his eyebrows, formed a huge smile on his face, then exhaled his final breath.