I wasnt there personally to witness it. my mom had been staying over at my aunt's house since yesterday, and at about 3.45pm she called us to come over and see him one last time, as his breathing had gotten slower. even though we went over as quickly as possible, we arrived at about 4pm. apparently he did not have to struggle bitterly over a long period of time, and went peacefully in his sleep. i guess that in itself is a blessing.
for the past few days, he had been lying in a hospital bed at my aunt's house with breathing and movement difficulties, occasionally awake but mostly unaware of what was happening around him. he responded to verbal stimuli, but since he simply nodded to everything we said my mom suspected that it was just a reflex action to sound. yesterday my mom and aunts were discussing whether or not to send him to a hospital, and they couldnt reach an agreement. so one time my mom casually asked him "do you want to go to hospital?" and miraculously, he shook his head. my mom couldnt believe it so she asked "do you want to stay at home?" and this time he nodded his head. my mom and aunts reached a compromise and agreed that if he was still alive at 4pm the next day, they would send him to hospital.
in the moments leading up to his death, his condition suddenly became very stable. he no longer breathed through fitful coughs, and left peacefully and painlessly in his sleep. and almost as if he was saving us the trouble of admitting him to hospital, he passed away mere minutes before the agreed deadline of 4pm. it was always in his nature to put others before himself.
RIP
