Son shares photo of parents together in intensive care hours before father dies

[ Jim and Cindy Mininni reunited for one last time / By Chris Mininni]

An Ontario couple admitted to hospital with unrelated but life-threatening conditions shared one last moment together, and their son captured the heartbreaking exchange on camera.

Jim Mininni, 58, was admitted to the ICU at Kingston General Hospital on April 28 after complaining of breathing problems. He’d had lung cancer three times in the previous eight years, and this time the diagnosis did not look good.

Then, just one day later Jim’s wife Cindy suffered a heart attack and was also admitted to the ICU — but at a different hospital.

Their son Chris was devastated and frantic, running from hospital to hospital to check on his parents.

“It was frightening,” Chris told People. “I didn’t know what to do. It was the worst thing ever.”

Chris and his brother made every effort to unite them. The CBC reports that making the move was complicated as they needed a medical reason to unite them, but with the help of a compassionate physician Cindy was transferred on May 3.

“[The doctor] saw my father worsening, and knew my mom needed to be there,” Chris told The Huffington Post Canada.

Doctors discovered a large tumour blocking his airway and informed the family there was nothing they could do to save him. They awoke Jim to let him know about his condition, and he decided to sign a do-not-resuscitate order.

Jim broke down into tears when he heard that his wife was also under the hospital’s care. He had a breathing tube in, and so was communicating by writing. He wrote the letters “MO” but couldn’t complete the word for two more hours. When he finally was able to write that final “M” to complete the word “MOM,” his sons realized that Jim just wanted to be with his wife.

It took hours to prepare both patients, but eventually doctors informed Jim he would be reunited with Cindy one last time.

“My dad lit up like a child, tears streaming down his face, he started bowing in prayer nonstop, saying ‘Thank you,’” Chris told Huffington Post Canada.

The doctors wheeled him into his wife’s room — the first time the hospital had ever united two intensive care patients — and allowed him to stay as long as was medically possible. Chris snapped a photo of the final moment, Jim holding the hand of his wife of 24-years. Two hours later, he died.

When Cindy finally woke up, her first words were, “Is dad dead?”

Two weeks later, Chris decided to share the photo on Reddit, where he received an outpouring of supportive comments — along with a few less than encouraging ones.

Chris decided to focus on the positive, writing in a subsequent comment:

“Thank you all so so so much for your well wishes, I want to hug and thank each one of you so much. I’ve truly been struggling but today has helped a ton.”

He also added an update: that his mother was heartbroken but home and recovering. Asked how he would remember his parents, Chris said the following:

“Always together, no matter what.”