End-of-life nurse Julie McFadden has spent 16 years working with dying patients
As we approach our final moments, it’s hard to predict what our last words might be. However, an end-of-life nurse has observed that many patients tend to utter similar phrases just before passing away, with four expressions particularly prevalent.
‘Thank you’, ‘I forgive you’, ‘Goodbye’ and ‘Please forgive me,’ are the poignant words that hospice nurse Julie McFadden frequently hears from those on their deathbeds. However, in a conversation with DailyMail.com, she clarified that these farewells don’t always come as one might expect from Hollywood depictions.
“It’s not usually at their last breath,” the California-based medic told the publication. “A lot of people think it’s like the movies — a dramatic, last proclamation of something they’ve always regretted or something they always wanted everyone to know. It’s not really like that.”
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Even after 16 years in her role, Julie admits that certain aspects of dying still puzzle her. Discussing with NHS surgeon and podcaster Dr Karan Rajan, she recounted instances of people who seem to ‘choose when they are going to die’ – a phenomenon that defies easy explanation.
According to GloucestershireLive, she said: “They basically will say, ‘I’m going to die after this date’ or ‘I’ll wait for my daughter’s wedding’. I’ve literally had a patient say; ‘I’m dying tonight’ and then die even though they weren’t actively dying.”
When Dr Karan asked what might be occurring in these instances, Nurse Julie confessed: “I have no idea. They did not take anything, they did not do it. I could not believe it… jaw on the floor, like what the heck?”
Nurse Julie also delved into the curious cases of patients who report seeing their late loved ones or even pets, clarifying that these visions don’t unfold in a cinematic fashion but rather tend to happen around three weeks before death.
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At the time, she stressed: “Those people who are seeing the dead people are very alert and oriented. They’re not like drugged up and on the verge of death.
“They’re up walking, talking and they are seeing things that we aren’t seeing.” Moreover, Julie observed that some people may call out for relatives or exhibit child-like behaviours as they approach the end of life.
Yet, she noted that experiences can differ greatly, with others passing in a more subdued manner. She told DailyMail.com: “Sometimes they’ll say things that just don’t make sense.
“But sometimes, they don’t make sense to us, but they might make sense to them.”
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