Author’s Note
Writing about loss, terminal illness, veterans’ final moments, and near-death experiences is something I approach with deep reverence—and the quiet sensitivity such stories deserve. These stories may be fictional, but they echo truths etched deeply into my own life.
As a veteran who served during peacetime, I carry the quiet legacy of duty fulfilled without combat. Years later, as a civilian, I faced a near-death experience that reshaped how I understand mortality, memory, and the sacredness of human connection. I’ve also lived through the heartbreak of saying goodbye—first to my father, and later to my mother—two deeply personal journeys that taught me the grace of letting go and the enduring strength of love.
These narratives are born from that journey. They are tributes to the families who keep vigil, to nurses who offer tireless care, and to individuals whose courage unfolds in silence, not in fanfare, but in profound, everyday love.
If you’ve ever stood at someone’s bedside in their final moments…
If you’ve returned from the edge of life forever changed…
If you’ve felt comfort when you needed it most, offered without condition...
Then know this: your story matters.
And in those sacred moments, when the world grows still and grace walks quietly beside you, you just might find yourself face to face with an Angel Nurse—and never even realize it.
Because with the Big Guy… anything is possible.
With honor, memory, and heart,
R.R. Risch
07/12/2025
