# Fifteen minutes of goodbyes from a brain-tumour coma

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-brain-tumour-last-goodbyes
- Themes: death, mind and brain, last words
- Life situations: loved one with brain tumour, terminal illness, saying goodbye

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

As reported (Ajahn Brahm recalls) in a Time magazine issue on the mind, a US patient with an aggressive brain tumour lies in a coma for days; against the prognosis he opens his eyes, sits up and talks clearly with his family for fifteen minutes before dying.

## The story, as told by Ajahn Brahm (verbatim captions)

there was an even better example which was in uh a Time Magazine of all things article on the mind this was the most amazing uh time when the Mind separated from the brain I think it was so we did have a copy of this in our Monastery I think 2009 or 10 or something January Edition Time Magazine the mind but anyway there was a doctor over in the United States was treating a person with brain tumor and it was a very aggressive tumor and he was uh in hospital just waiting for the end in a coma for many days because apparently the brain tumor just grows and takes over the other part of the brain until there's nothing left know for a person to be able to speak all higher brain functions disappear and eventually the last part of the brain is just used for keeping the body alive for doing the the basic functions of breathing and keeping the heart going and the other organs going but as soon there's no capacity left in the brain to do anything and that's when the person dies so the fellow would being UNC ious for a long time and the doctor told him what the prognosis was you go into this coma and never come out again but this person did come out he just again opened his eyes he bent up but this fellow talked to his family for 15 minutes saying their last goodbyes for 15 minutes he was totally clear before he died and the doctor was totally amazed it couldn't have happened but it did because by that time there's nothing left in the brain to perform such functions

## Teaching point

The mind may function independently of the brain at the end of life.

## Reflection (in the spirit of Ajahn Brahm's talk)

The prognosis said he would never wake again, yet, as Ajahn Brahm recalls the report, he sat up and spent fifteen clear minutes saying goodbye to his family. A prognosis describes a body, not everything a person is. Say what matters to the people you love while you can. This is a recalled report, not medical advice.

## Source

- [What Happens After You Die? | Ajahn Brahm | 08-04-2011](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZZupDuprhU) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 15:50 to 17:37: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZZupDuprhU&t=950s