If you knew that you only had three days to live, what would you do?

United States
June 18, 2008 3:31pm CST
If you knew that you only had a short time to live, what would you do with your remaining days? Maybe you were told by a doctor that you only had three days or a week or year to live, would you seek treatments to prolong your life, if available? Would you spend more time with your family? Would you be sad and grieve for the life you were going to be missing? If it were me, I'd spend every waking moment with my family so they would at least have those memories. And, I'd seek treatments if they were available or could help me live pain free. I try to spend lots of time with my family anyway, cause you never know when you time is up. But I would try to make things even more special. What about you? What would you do?
4 people like this
21 responses
@lingli_78 (12822)
• Australia
19 Jun 08
well, i will definitely spend time to strengthen my personal relationship with God... also, i want to spend my time with my hubby and my other family members before i die... i want them to remember me as well like you say... and i don't want them to be sad because of me... i want them to be happy as i will be meeting my Creator in heaven... take care and have a nice day...
1 person likes this
@Margajoe (4709)
• Germany
19 Jun 08
Hi, I believe if you are a believer, you do not start to strengthen your relationship with God, when you now your going to die. Everyday you should strengthen your relationship. A relationship is something you work on everyday. Just like being married or having a good friend. Take care. Margajoe
@lamcouz (101)
• Australia
19 Jun 08
Your thought does really touch me a little bit. When you say you want to strengthen your relationship with the God, what you mean you going to do? Do you mean you would thank god in the rest of your three day-time, thanking him for granting you at least some time in the world before you are gone?
1 person likes this
@Jhordie (5115)
• Philippines
19 Jun 08
Is it okay if I will share something?! As a nurse by profession, we have handled many cases like this and even health care practitioners do feel for our terminally ill patients. There are actually 5 process or steps in grieving: D- DENIAL A- ANGER B- BARGAINING D- DEPRESSION A- ACCEPTANCE People with that kind of conditiion will surely pass all this and hope that he/she will be able to reach the last one which is ACCEPTANCE. Though their time are almost up they should still have some hope to continue living their remaining days and experience the beauty of life he/she still has. If I will be in their position... I would be spending my time not in the hospital but rather in my own home with my parents and siblings around me. Sharing every breath I still have to laugh with them or cry with them. I will surely miss those opportunity when I am gone why not DO ALL THE THINGS I CAN STILL POSSIBLY DO WITH MY ENDEARED LOVEONES. I do feel so sad now just by thinking and putting myself on their shoes what more to those who really experience this trials. I sure hope and pray for them to have a blessed life ahead of them whether it will end as the doctor might have told them or it will continue as God can make some miracles for their TIME HERE ISN'T DONE YET!!! God bless all of those wonderful people and their loving family as well. SIGH...
1 person likes this
@Jhordie (5115)
• Philippines
19 Jun 08
I can;t help but cry now... THANKS for makingme and all other people here FEEL SO FORTUNATE... THAT WE STILL HAVE HEALTHY BODY AND A PEACEFUL LIFE!!! Let us cherish every moment of it.
1 person likes this
@Margajoe (4709)
• Germany
19 Jun 08
Yes, you are absolutely right. God Bless.
@Shaun72 (15959)
• Palatka, Florida
18 Jun 08
I would spend time with my family and my friends myself.I would also seek something for pain relief for the time that I had left. It is true that you never know when your time is up. Only God knows.
• United States
18 Jun 08
That's so true!
@gemini_rose (16264)
18 Jun 08
Oh you really know how to throw these discussions at me ah?? What are you like I would waste the first day by having a tantrum, scream, shout, feel sorry for myself, for my kids and all the feelings like that. I would then pen letters to my children while getting my hubby to search for some miracle cure. I would then just take my kids everywhere I could and we would just eat and drink whatever we wanted, take loads of photos of us all and stuff like that.
• United States
18 Jun 08
That's pretty much what I would do too! I didn't want to admit the part about me having a big old tantrum, but I would do that! I would feel so cheated. But then again, I've had lots of wonderful times with my family.
@fwidman (11514)
• United States
18 Jun 08
I would definitely do my best to spend time with my adult children that live a couple of states away,either by telephone or visiting them. I also would spend more quality time with my family at home, especially my teenage daughter. I also would do my best to put my affairs in order so that the family would not be left with a mess to clean up, as grieving is hard enough already when you lose a loved one.
• United States
19 Jun 08
Oh you're kidding me! I have no idea how they could consider that to be income.
• United States
19 Jun 08
I see! Thank you for explaining that. I'm familiar with insurance.
@fwidman (11514)
• United States
19 Jun 08
I guess because it is an insurance policy of some sort, they think of it as income. Makes you wonder about life insurance policies LOL
@mpatsos (35)
• United States
20 Jun 08
I would probably shut down and stay in bed because I would be too depressed to even go outside.
@meljessxena (2315)
• Australia
19 Jun 08
this is a really hard question to answer actually, and it has got me thinking. unless if i experienced it i never know what i would do, but i think i would just spend as much time with my family as possible, make the most of it and make sure they all know i love them and want them to keep on living just like before
@mummymo (23706)
19 Jun 08
You know what Beauty my guess would be if that you were only given 3 days to live you wouldn't be able to track down a suitable treatment in time! I would want to spend the whole time with my kids and when they were sleeping I would want to record all the advice would have given them through their life and leave tapes telling them how much I loved them and how if they tried there was nothing they couldn't achieve! xxx
@judy43 (299)
• United States
20 Jun 08
I would spend it with my family while seeking treatment. I spend a lot of time with my family, and in August we are going to Florida for a week.
• India
20 Jun 08
I dont really n exactly kno wat i l do But m sure i ll enjoy the days wit all the excitement n enthu n evertyhin to make em MEMORABLE I ll simply enjoy em to the Core:)
• India
20 Jun 08
Hello beautyqueen! I would firstly feel bad, that people who love me would feel more sad for me than me. My husband, father, mother, and brother. I guess they would feel more bad for me, they'd cry for me am sure. Am very optimistic,as i take things as they come, so i would happily accept it and spend the remaining moment with my loved ones.But yet i don't know,i would feel bad that i have to leave everyone and this world. Only thing is they would cry more than me. Happy Mylotting!
@Emma30587 (402)
19 Jun 08
Thats a really good question! I think I would spend it surrounded by my famiy and friends, I believe in the afterlife so I believe that I can do all the things I want to do while im alive once im gone - for example to see the world - (if that makes sense!!) So i think i would rather spend the last days surround by the people i love!!
• United States
19 Jun 08
A couple of months or a year, Well,being the person that I am, I would go through my "shoulda,coulda,woulda" list fast!! And believe me I can arrange a pretty odd list! A few days, I'd gripe a lot and tell the Dr. he's beat for the money unless he extends my time!!! Other than that, Personally, I'd rather go out on my feet than on my my knees!! Good times all round!!!!!
• Philippines
19 Jun 08
If I knew that I would only have a a short time to live, I would grieve at first. Usually, we people would undergo a process that we call "Grieving Process". It all starts with "Denial", next is "Anger", then "Bargaining" and "Depression before we reach a stage of "Acceptance". But I would not grieve for the whole day, it would just be minutes or an hour before I reach the stage of "Acceptance". Once accepted, I would spend time with my family and my girlfriend whom I love dearly. I want them to cherish my final moments with them. However, when I feel that I could no longer hold,I would try to do a plan so that my Girlfriend would leave my room before I would take my final breath. I would not want her to see me suffer. I have seen people dying in the hospitals, and I would not like her to see me that way.
@kesav010 (1684)
• India
19 Jun 08
well....gud 1...i hope u hav seen da movie bucket list..first i wud make a list of 5 things dat i ever wanted to do in my life..nd den wud go abt doin it....
@manu619 (450)
• India
19 Jun 08
Ha ha.. Nice topic.. Okay.. If i knew i had only 3 days to live.. I will spend all my wealth for entertainment. I will just enjoy my life..
@skbh12 (2946)
• Philippines
19 Jun 08
for the last three days left for me, i would do the things ive never done in my life. id be spending it with the people whom i dearly love and who are close to my heart. ill try my very best to give to them the very last moments that they will always remember and will always cherish.
@celticeagle (159008)
• Boise, Idaho
19 Jun 08
I would do all i could with my family. I would try to get all the paperwork done. Try to enjoy the last few hours with my kids. Say good bye to friends.
@byetals (66)
• China
19 Jun 08
I have though about your question.My answer is doing nothing,try to think back your whole life .And wite for dying.
@lamcouz (101)
• Australia
19 Jun 08
Yes, i think what i wil do would be most probably just like what you will do. Having said that 3 days of life to live only, I think this is not the amount of time that is important for people to be spent together, but it's the quality of time. I am now 20+ years old and my parents are at their late 50s, I realize that they wouldn't have too much time left to be with us. Everytime I look back at our family photos that are years ago, i would just sigh and feel that time really does pass very fast. If there are only three days of life left, I would want to spend with my family members, to have a good memory.