Helping Mom Die: An Auto-ethnographic Account of Preparing for Death

Abstract

This article is about a journey that I took with my mother as she left us. It is an article using an autoethnographic approach which allows me, the writer, to use both my personal pain and thoughts as a way to give peace, understanding, and perspective of the time before my mom’s death. This article is also about giving a framework for those who will also go through the same experience with an aging parent, to both take away the stigma of death and to help the reader be present in a tough situation. For me, it was an honor to be with the woman who brought me into this world and to be able to be alone with her as she left.