Debra from Massillon, OH, asked:
Hi Julie,
My sister passed away about a month ago. She had a severe mental illness and was on oxygen full time for COPD.
I received a call from the nursing home that night and the nurse told me my sister had unplugged her oxygen and was deceased when they found her.
It still haunts me that she died like that. She was schizoaffective, heard voices in her head, and no medication seemed to help her.
I’m certain that the “voices” told her to do it. Please help me understand.
Thank you.
Debra
Hi Debra,
My sincere condolences to you and your family.
I understand your feeling of regret that your sister passed from those circumstances.
The Mayo Clinic says, “Schizoaffective disorder is a mental health disorder that is marked by a combination of schizophrenia symptoms, such as hallucinations or delusions, and mood disorder symptoms, such as depression or mania.”
It has been my experience our spirit decides when, where, how, and who’s with us when we die. Although she was in a care facility, nothing and no one could’ve prevented her passing.
To illustrate that concept, think of people who get shot. Not all of them die. We think the shooter is the murderer and they are, but the victim’s spirit is the one who decides whether to transition.
Furthermore, medical providers that work in the ICU, ER, Palliative Care and Hospice, along with funeral directors and pastors all have endless stories about how people waited for others to arrive or leave before dying. These experiences all validate the concept of our spirits being in control.
Having said all that, the way in which your sister passed won’t ever make sense to you so please focus on the spiritual side of what happened when she died.
She was surrounded by angels and the spirits of deceased loved ones and pets. My book Angelic Attendants: What Really Happens As We Transition From This Life Into The Next describes this series of events we all experience in the days, weeks, and months before we die.
In addition, university-based research validates this concept because it shows 90% of people report seeing the spirits of deceased loved ones and pets at the end of their lives.
Your sister was done experiencing all she came to learn in this life and was ready to go to Heaven where she’s now happy, healthy, and whole.
Hope this helps comfort you!