Even at the point of death, my mother’s brain was as sharp as ever

‘After 12 days of my mother being virtually ‘dead’, I read out a crossword clue that I could not complete. Suddenly a gurgling came from her throat … ’ Photograph: Sarah Lee/The Guardian

Your article (People in comas showed ‘conscious-like’ brain activity as they died, study says, 1 May) reminded me of the death of my mother, aged 92. Lying in hospital, she was still breathing, but her whole body had shut down; I agreed that everything should be turned off so that she could slip away peacefully.

However, the actual death itself took nearly two weeks. I visited every day and sat next to her reading out Guardian quick crossword clues. After 12 days of my mother being virtually “dead”, I read out a clue that I could not complete. Suddenly a gurgling came from her throat, which was quite clearly “ethereal” – the correct answer! A lesson to us all that not only could she still hear and understand what we were saying, but that her brain was still better than mine at the crossword.
Jane Harding
Winchester

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