Obligatory not a medical worker caveat, but not long before my grandfather died of Lewy Body Dementia (basically a Parkinsons &amp; Alzheimers-like combo that is every bit as awful as it sounds), he had a fleeting moment of lucidity and pulled me aside to tell me “they all treat me like I’m not a person and talk about me as if I’m not still in here but I am. I hate it.” It broke my heart. Still does, to be honest.

In the end, he contracted pneumonia and went quickly. While I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to him, I think he was ready to go. I think he was probably relieved to die still capable of doing basic things like feeding himself and going to bathroom on his own. I don’t think he could have handled losing more independence and basic cognitive function than he already had. He was always a proud, stubborn badass in life so of course he wanted to go out on his own terms even in death.