Some people seem to think that Simon may be sharing too much but for the past few days he has been livetweeting from his mother’s bedside in ICU where, according to him, she has very little time left to live.
I love holding my mother's hand. Haven't held it like this since I was 9. Why did I stop? I thought it unmanly? What crap.
— Scott Simon (@nprscottsimon) July 29, 2013
In middle of nights like this, my knees shake as if there's an earthquake. I hold my mother's arm for strength–still.
— Scott Simon (@nprscottsimon) July 29, 2013
Mother cries Help Me at 2;30. Been holding her like a baby since. She's asleep now. All I can do is hold on to her.
— Scott Simon (@nprscottsimon) July 29, 2013
Her passing might come any moment, or in an hour, or not for a day. Nurses saying hearing is last sense to go so I sing & joke.
— Scott Simon (@nprscottsimon) July 29, 2013
When she asked for my help last night, we locked eyes. She calmed down. A look of love that surpasses understanding.
— Scott Simon (@nprscottsimon) July 29, 2013
One thing I’m sure of is that Twitter has never been used for a more depressing livetweet than this. What do you think about Simon sharing his mother’s last moments on Earth with, well, the entire Earth on Twitter?
Scott’s tweets may be helpful to others who will eventually face their loved one’s deaths. I was curious so I read them, and frankly, I think it’s therapeutic for him (no mention of other family members there) to be doing so. When I think of my own father’s death, and how I dealt with it – I find that Scott’s actions and feelings towards his mother to be very moving and loving, and perhaps those of you out there who will still have to deal with the death of a parent (or dear friend) can learn from his comments. Holding hands, locking eyes, talking, singing, joking. I believe that final warm and loving contact with a loved one who is dying is EVERYTHING. I know it now but I have learned the hard way. In 1987, when my father lay dying, I was frozen in shock, and alone, and could barely hold his hand, or utter a word. If, back then, I’d been privy to something (like) Scott’s tweets or some one else’s thoughts on this, it might have jolted me out of my shock so I could have spent the last hours of my beloved Dad’s existence holding him, crying with him, telling him everything he surely longed to hear. But I could not. What a terrible regret to have for the rest of my life.
LikeLike
EK what a great response. I am very sorry for your loss. I lost my father, under similar circumstances to to Scott’s mother actually, in 2000. I think that no matter how you handle the loss of a parent, especially when it’s slow and you’re forced to watch them go through it, people have regrets. It’s human nature. I wish I had done more as well. I was actually away in college when it happened and he was pretty sick by the time I found out what was going on and got back to Florida. When I first walked into the room he asked me to grab his arm. I was confused and asked him why he wanted me to do that. He wanted me to pull him up over my shoulders and carry him out of the hospital so he could go home. I thought I might just collapse in despair right then and there. He only lived for a couple of more days. To this day I wish I would have done whatever I could have to get him out of there so he could have died at home like he wanted to.
LikeLike
I think I’d have to pass on keeping the world informed that my mother was about to kick the bucket. I’m sure the relatives care but who else does? Are all your followers interested in every single thing you do? And if his mother was that important, would he waste time on Twitter sending out another post. So much for holding onto your mom’s hand in her last moments.
LikeLike
I can see both sides of the argument. I could maybe understand his view a little more if he didn’t have a wife and kids to be there with him through this. But I can still see how this is probably very therapeutic for him as well.
LikeLike
There is a button called unfollow if you are not interested. He has all day with her, I am sure he could find time to send the occasional 10 second twitter message…
LikeLike
Next: Serial Rapist-Killers life tweet their crimes as they happen. It’s gonna be HUGE
LikeLike
[…] NPR reporter Scott Simon is livetweeting his Mother’s death […]
LikeLike