The last words of the patients before they die. Julie McFadden, a Californian nurse who deals with palliative care, opened a TikTok account and began to tell the last moments of life faced by the people she cares for every day. It did so through a series of videos that went viral. It does so hoping to educate and normalize the thought of death. “There is something most people say before they die,” he revealed. “It’s usually ‘I love you’, or they try to talk to their parents who are already dead most of the time.”
The last moments before dying
Ms. McFadden, who worked as a nurse in a hospice for five years, explained that changes in breathing, skin color, terminal secretions, and fevers were all common in the patients she cares for in their later stages. “Symptoms of the triggered death phase include changes in consciousness (unconscious) and breathing,” he explained in a TikTok video. «They are normal phenomena and they are not painful. “Our bodies take care of ourselves at the end of life: the less we intervene, the better.”
The phenomenon “The Rally”
The nurse also explained a phenomenon that she and other medical professionals commonly see and which is called “The Rally”. It occurs when someone is close to death but suddenly seems to get better hours or days before their time. “Suddenly it looks like she’s better,” she explained. «It can manifest itself in many ways, but many times suddenly they start eating, talking, sometimes they can even walk. They behave as before they got sick, they show more personality, they laugh, talk, joke. But they usually die within a few days. ‘
The nurse also said that many patients report being surrounded by loved ones, whether they are dead or alive. “Usually it happens about a month before the patient dies, they start seeing relatives or friends who are already dead, old pets, spirits, angels, who visit them and only they can see them,” he said. In those moments – he maintains – they are not afraid, they feel comforted and they are not frightened.
The relationship with death
Ms. McFadden said she was “amazed” when her videos went viral, explaining that she started her TikTok account as she felt it was important to share her experiences as a hospice nurse. “I’ve always talked to my friends and family about death, so it makes me so happy to see others seem interested,” he told Yahoo News Australia. «Death will affect everyone in our life, it is a part of life. It was so rewarding to see that people really want to learn. ‘
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