I, the Second, in the Presence of the First’s Death. An Existential Perspective on Accompanying in Dying – Based on <i>the</i> <i>Story with Raspberries</i>

This article presents a personal perspective on participating in a boundary situation – the Second accompanying the First in dying. It is a record of an intimate experience, seen through the eyes of the Second – a “study of the intimacy of the boundary situation” (Walczak, 2023). It portrays the experience of being in the presence of a boundary situation, framed phenomenologically, which guides the path of accompanying someone in dying and leading the Second towards life after the death of the First. In this process, a “transformation” occurs – the Second, in the presence of the First’s death, becomes the First in the presence of her own mortality. The intimate experience of dying does not so much bring one closer to death, but – through awareness of one’s own transience – draws one nearer to life, becoming a source of authentic existence.