But while Malcolm Green, 62, thought he had said goodbye to his wife of 41 years Marilyn, the family were in for a horrible shock.
When Malcolm’s son Craig, 41, called Sandwell Hospital in West Bromwich, he was told that Marilyn was actually still alive.
Craig told the Daily Mirror: “Dad turned her machine off on Saturday Bank Holiday and we were told to call back on Tuesday but when we spoke to the mortuary at the hospital they told us they couldn't find her. It turned out she was still on the ward."
The family immediately returned to the hospital to be with Marilyn, but she sadly passed away 24-hours later.
An investigation is now underway to find out why this happened to Marilyn and why the family was not informed.
Malcolm told an inquest how hospital staff told him Marilyn was only being kept alive by the machine and that there was nothing more they could do for her.
He added: “It’s like grieving for her dying twice, I said goodbye twice.”
The inquest into the events has been adjourned for three months, with coroner Angus Smillie saying: “It is an unexpected turn of events, you went home thinking she had passed away only to find out days later that she was in fact still alive.”
A spokesperson for the hospital send condolences to the family and confirmed there was now a full investigation taking place.