The In-Between: Unforgettable Encounters During Life's Final Moments

Frank and his wife, Cheryl, are openly and firmly uninterested in religion. As she fills out the patient intake form, Vlahos asks him (as is required) what his beliefs are, and he asks her in return. She reflects for a moment, thinking about her complicated relationship with religion and all of the missing explanations from her youth. She used to search for answers that were black and white, but she now finds comfort in the idea that she cannot have answers to all of her questions. She eventually says she used to be scared of death but isn’t anymore because of all that she has seen—specifically, “seeing [patients’] fear wash away before they pass” (232). Frank suggests she write a book about her experiences one day and makes her pinky promise to include him in it as representation for people who don’t believe in an afterlife.

When Frank experiences his deceased loved ones coming to see him, his wife is concerned; he seems lucid, but Cheryl is uncomfortable with the idea that the experience might be spiritual. Vlahos assures her that many people experience these visions, religious and nonreligious alike. She suggests finding comfort in Frank’s happiness, even if she doesn’t know how to explain it.