She once said she'd been dying her entire life. (but without 'She once said')

[Michaelll]

There's a video on YouTube about Claire Wineland, a girl with CF, cystic fibrosis.
Once she said, "I've been dying my entire life", as soon as I heard this I got thinking how this line should be after the time comes . I instantly came up with "She once said she'd been dying her entire life", but here we're talking about what she once said, but what if we just want to say about it objectively? "She'd been dying her entire life" doesn't work (because there's no point in the past to which it should connect), right? So, how about "She was dying her entire life", would it work?

 

[5jj]

Once she said, "I've been dying my entire life", as soon as I heard this I got to thinking how this line should be

You have a comma splice there.

after the time comes .

If you mean 'after her death', say that,

"She'd been dying her entire life" doesn't work (because there's no point in the past to which it should connect), right?

As a sentence on its own without context it doesn't work, but it would never be uttered without context.

So, how about "She was dying her entire life", would it work?

In the right context, yes.

 

[Michaelll]

You have a comma splice there.

You mean I had to put a period instead of a comma after "... my entire life", before "as soon as I heard..."?

If you mean 'after her death', say that,

What prevents me from saying that the way I did?

In the right context, yes.

The context of describing her life, is that "the right context"?

 

[5jj]

You mean I had to put a period instead of a comma after "... my entire life", before "as soon as I heard..."?

Yes.

What prevents me from saying that the way I did?

Lack of clarity.

The context of describing her life, is that "the right context"?

It could be. Write two or three sentences and we'll see.

 

[Michaelll]

It could be. Write two or three sentences and we'll see.

Thanks!

She was an amazing person and it's terrible that she had to go through so much. She spent more than a third of her lifetime in the hospital. She was dying her entire life.

 

[Tarheel]

@Michaelll Not bad!