The above image was posted on Reddit over the weekend. It shows a tearjerking scene of an elderly man and woman holding hands across two beds.
According to the anonymous young woman who posted the picture, the couple in the picture is her grandparents.
She writes, “My Grandma, 96, with my Grandpa, 100, hours before her death this weekend. 77 years of marriage.”
My heart goes out to this young woman and her family, but I’m also glad that her grandmother was able to live such a long life and die in the loving embrace of the man whom she loved her entire life.
Of course it’s incredibly hard to lose someone you love so dearly, and I hope that this 100-year-old man can find the strength to look ahead, even though his wife is no longer by his side.
This centenarian may have a lot of years good years left to live, but when his time comes, I hope that he finds comfort in knowing that he can reunite with his beloved again.
These heartbreaking but beautiful stories seem to pop up every now and then and they might explain why elderly couples sometimes die simultaneously or within a few hours of each other.
The phenomenon actually has a name. It’s called “broken heart syndrome.”
The syndrome involves the stress and grief from the loss of a loved one causing actual physical symptoms.
After all, stress and anxiety aren’t just “in your head,” but are very much physiological effects—even in young, healthy people.
So when someone you love is suffering from an illness or the like, “broken heart syndrome” can lead to poorer health for both of you.
On the other hand, these heartbreaking moments give us all a glimmer of hope.
Seeing people comforting each other in tough times is an inspiration to us all.
If you are also touched by this story, please share it so more people can realize how beautiful love can be, even in the most difficult moments.
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