Season 1 of Last Words comes to a close with a personal reflection from host Nic Main.

For the first time, Nic shares the story behind the podcast: recording his mother’s last words before her passing, traveling thousands of miles to meet guests with nothing but an idea, learning to walk alongside the dying through doula and hospice work, and holding space for strangers in their final moments.

This episode is a look at the long road that led here the lessons death taught along the way, the legacies carried, and the moments that reshaped what it means to live.

To the lives who inspired this work:

• ​Shelly Main
• ​Sara Main
• ​Ollie Main
• ​Alexis Rusin
• ​Bradley Rusin
• ​Willow Olsen
• ​Virginia Viviano
• ​Shirley Mueth
• ​Beau Offutt
• ​Janet Archibald
• ​Vange Thompson

This podcast would not be possible without:

You - The Listener.

Production:

Ben Dahlquist - Audio Technician/Editor.

Tom Grady - Website Developer.

Matt Wagner - Graphic Design.

Nick Grady - Guest Coordinator Assistant.

Last Words Season 2 returns in June of 2026.

If this podcast has impacted you, please consider donating at www.lastwordspodcast.org and click donate.

How would you navigate walking through the world with your loved on as they go from age 70 back to the mind of 1 years old?

Larry describes what it meant to keep a vow to his wife Vange, by recreating and re-orchestrating long term memories as his wife Vange saw the present change before her eyes.

In this episode, Larry describes:

• ​Tracking his wife’s smile
• ​Unlocking long-term memory for Alzheimer’s patients
• ​Walking side by side through the mental regression of Alzheimer’s
• ​Using music as a form of comfort for Alzheimer’s patients
• ​What it meant to bring to color Vange’s world in the gray of Alzheimer’s

Most of all, Larry walks us through what it means to truly live out the vow: “Till Death Do Us Part”.

This is Last Words: Death Perception.

This is Larry Thompson.

This episode is in memory of Vange Thompson, who passed away on September 27, 2025.

Her husband, Larry Thompson, shares their story and what it truly means to vow for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health.

Larry walked beside Vange through her entire battle with Alzheimer’s with one intention: To keep the vow he made to her.

In this episode, Larry discusses:

• ​Meeting at just 12 and 13 years old
• ​Life and marriage after the Vietnam War
• ​What 51 years of marriage looks like
• ​The importance of adapting with the one you love
• ​The meaning behind making a lifelong vow
• ​How Alzheimer’s can echo through a family tree
• ​Vange’s shift from caretaker to patient
• ​What it means to prepare as a caretaker
• ​The financial reality of the medical system
• ​Building an environment rooted in dignity for someone living with Alzheimer’s
• ​Learning how to communicate with an Alzheimer’s patient

Most of all,

He reflects on what it means to step into the role of a caretaker and why preparation must begin now.

This is Last Words: Death Perception.

This is Larry Thompson.