I could have done it better

When I stop to think about it, I only ever heard about people slipping into a coma while they were already admitted to a hospital.

- Jabulile Mbatha

I had never heard of someone who was sick at home going into a coma, until I saw it with my grandmother, who died soon afterwards.

The night before that, she had been speaking about dead people and, as superstitions go, usually that is a sign that the end is near for them, too.

None of what she was saying that day made sense, which makes me sad because it feels like I did not get a chance to say goodbye to the real her.

The day she went into a coma, I thought she had slept in because she did not wake up in the morning as usual. I unknowingly assumed she was just exhausted and would be up by midday at the very least.

She was sleeping facing upwards, breathing loudly and uncomfortably, unable to swallow mucus.

It was my mother who noticed that something had changed and when she called out to my grandmother several times, trying to wake her, we all knew something was amiss.