London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Sep 08, 2026

End of life care nurse reveals things people say right before they die

End of life care nurse reveals things people say right before they die

None of us know what anyone experiences right before they die. But some have a good idea of the final words one might say, such as hospice nurses.

One end of life nurse revealed some of the things she has experienced while working in palliative care.

Julie McFadden, a carer based in Los Angeles, shares her work life on TikTok and everything she's learned about death and dying.

Recently the 39-year-old, who's had her role for five years, fascinated viewers about what people say during their final weeks, days and hours.

While making her patients feel comfortable, Julie says she hears them speak to someone in the room, usually a deceased loved one.

Usually a month or so before the patient dies, they might see someone from their life who has died. Some have told Julie that these messages from a deceased loved one include 'we're coming to get you soon' or 'don't worry, we'll help you'.

These interactions are to be expected, she revealed, and that families of the dying patient are prepared for this, as it's in written in brochures as to not scare or worry them.

Julie revealed: 'This happens so often that we put it in our educational packets that we give to the patient and their loved ones so they understand what's going on. But we don't know why it happens and we can't explain it.

'It usually happens a month or so before the patient dies. They start seeing dead relatives, dead friends, old pets that have passed on - spirits, angels, that are visiting them.

'Only they can see and hear them. Sometimes it's through a dream and sometimes they can physically see them and they'll actually ask us, "Do you see what I'm seeing?"'

Julie has been working as an end of care nurse for five years


Doctors say there's no medical term for what the dying are experiencing but that it brings them comfort instead of being something that's daunting and scary.

Julie said these experiences were not hallucinations as patients seem 'pretty alert and oriented, they're usually lucid'.

'It's not like they're saying a bunch of crazy things that don't make any sense,' she added.

'They're usually functional and logical and questioning me, "Why am I seeing my dead mum, do you see her?"'

While most of us might be scared to hear such utterances, Julie is well accustomed to these and doesn't find it scary.

On one occasion, she admitted she herself saw a vision that felt like an 'angel' standing over a patient's bed.

And the comforting thing is that she hasn't seen any signs of distress among patients. She added: 'All you sinners out there, I've never seen any signs that people dying are going to hell, demons, fire, anything like that.'

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Counter-Terrorism Police Lead Salford Investigation After Two Teenagers Charged
UK Rejects Financial Reparations for Transatlantic Slavery
UK and Egypt Step Up Diplomacy Over Escalating West Bank Tensions
UK Pauses Council Reorganisation Across Four English Counties
Jaguar Land Rover Plans 4,000 Job Cuts in Major UK Restructuring
UK Unveils Planning and Regulatory Overhaul to Speed Infrastructure and Economic Growth
University of Bristol Opens £500 Million Innovation Campus
Families Give Evidence to Independent Review of Sussex Maternity Failures
Sweden Confirms Deportation of 458 British Citizens Over Post-Brexit Residency Rules
UK Launches £3 Million Challenge for Long-Duration Energy Storage
Reform UK Proposes £100 Billion in Spending Cuts and Brownfield Deregulation
Andy Burnham Warns Macron That EU Procurement Rules Could Hurt British Steel
Andy Burnham Faces Major Decision on Future North Sea Oil and Gas Drilling
SEND Support in England Projected to Reach One in 10 Pupils
England’s Housing Courts Struggle With Surge in No-Fault Eviction Cases
Violent Clashes Erupt in Portsmouth During Protest Against Asylum Processing
Three-Quarters of NHS Emergency Staff Report Regular Violence or Aggression
UK Considers Converting Female Prison Space for Male Inmates as Overcrowding Worsens
UK House Prices Record First Annual Decline in Nearly Three Years
UK Government Reassesses Policy Toward Israel Amid Calls for Diplomatic Shift
Reform UK Faces Police Scrutiny Over Alleged Foreign Donations Scheme
University of Bristol Opens £500 Million Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus
Online Bookmakers Accused of Privacy Breaches Through Cookie Consent Practices
Health Campaigners Urge UK Government to Abandon U.S. Pharmaceutical Agreement
Three-Quarters of UK A&E Staff Report Regular Violence or Aggression
Far-Right Demonstrations Target Portsmouth as Small-Boat Crossings Fuel Tensions
UK Records Hottest Summer on Record After Severe Heatwaves
UK Travellers Face Renewed EU Border Delays as Temporary Flexibility Ends
UK Rejects Calls to Pause AI Data Centre Expansion Despite Energy Concerns
UK Defence Figures Push for 3% Spending Target Amid Falklands Concerns
England Faces Rising Financial Pressure as Special Educational Needs Plans Surge
Metropolitan Police Consider Reform UK Probe Over Overseas Donations
Keir Starmer to Leave Parliament, Triggering By-Election
UK Treasury Weighs Windfall Taxes on Banks and Oil Companies Amid Bond Market Turmoil
Jaguar Land Rover to Cut Thousands of Jobs as UK Government Rules Out Bailout
OpenAI Unveils GPT-6 and Says: "We May Already Have Reached AGI"
Congressman Accused Andrew of Sex Crimes in the United States
Donald Trump: "I'm Glad Harry and Meghan Left the United States"
Spicy Food Is Linked to Lower Death Risk — but It Is Not a Miracle Cure
AfD Enters Saxony-Anhalt Election at 41% in Historic Test for German Politics
Gen Z Turns to Investing as America's First-Home Dream Moves Further Out of Reach
Thousands Join London March Calling for Tighter Abortion Restrictions
Institute of Directors Says Tax and Regulatory Uncertainty Still Weighs on UK Investment
Bank of England Faces Rate Dilemma as Weak Growth and Persistent Inflation Raise Stagflation Risks
Masked Anti-Immigration Protesters Block Roads to Port of Dover
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Sets Out Devolution and Re-Industrialisation Agenda
British Chambers of Commerce Forecasts UK Growth of Just 1% Through 2027
UK Government Advances Bill to Tighten Rules on Overseas Political Donations
Nigel Farage Faces Scrutiny Over Alleged Reform UK Donation-Law Evasion
Thousands Join Anti-Abortion March Through Central London
×