Having been an oncology nurse for over a decade, I’ve, unfortunately, witnessed many patients pass away and have performed post-mortem care countless times. Over the years, I began to notice two recurring patterns that seemed to appear again and again.
The first is something we used to call “death comes in threes.” I first heard this phrase from a colleague. Often, we would go a long stretch without losing a patient, and then suddenly, when one passed, two or three more would follow within the same week. Some might say it’s just coincidence – but when you see that pattern repeat itself time after time, you can’t help but wonder if there’s something more than meets the eye.
The second phenomenon is what I’d like to reflect on in this post – something I call “the last breath.”
End-of-life patients often display distinctive breathing patterns. One is called Cheyne–Stokes respiration, characterized by alternating periods of deep breathing followed by gradually shallower breaths and temporary pauses in breathing altogether. The other is agonal breathing, a more erratic pattern with moments of rapid breaths followed by periods of slowed or irregular breathing.
Regardless of which pattern a patient exhibited, there was always an unmistakable moment — a final, audible gasp, as if they were letting out one last heavy breath. Immediately after that, a wax-like pallor would come over the patient’s face , and you would know that a life had just slipped away.
Each time I witnessed that final breath, I couldn’t help but imagine the patient’s invisible soul leaving their body along with that very last breath. By the way, did you know that the Greek word for soul is psychē, which literally means “to breathe” but was understood to be “soul, inner being or life”? That brought me back to the Bible verse in Genesis that speaks about God giving us breath — the very source of life.
Genesis 2:7 (NIV)
Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
The same God who breathed life into Adam still breathes His Spirit into us today, sustaining us until the day He calls us home. Friends, may we live each day mindful of that sacred breath within us, and praise the One who breathed life into our souls!
Job 33:4
“The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”
Thank you, Lord.
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