A hospice nurse has shared her experiences of caring for people in the final moments of their lives, claiming some appear to have visits from loved ones who have already passed away.
Penny Smith, 59, claims a number of her patients have reported seeing dead relatives and pets before they themselves pass on, with such occurrences affirming her own belief in the afterlife.
She shares her experiences via TikTok, revealing in one particularly moving video how seeing dead loved ones is a completely normal part of the dying process and can bring patients great comfort.
The nature of her work means Penny is also privy to the various final thoughts, wishes and regrets of those nearing the end of their lives - giving her a different insight into death and dying.
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Penny, who has more than 4240.2K followers on TikTok, says she didn't believe in the afterlife before becoming a hospice nurse but has since come to believe there is something more after death.
She said: "The most profound thing is when a dying person tells you they are being visited by someone who has died. This can happen when a person is completely lucid and clearly able to state who they are seeing.
"Seeing people visioning ‘spirits’ or whatever entity it is they see has affirmed a belief in me that there is something more, that helped me cope with my dad’s death myself.
"Once a lady was searching for a cat in her room, then she realised it was one of her previous pets. Another time, a gentleman patient of mine saw his wife in the ceiling in the corner of the room. He told me she was coming to get him ‘but not today, tomorrow’."
In one video that has clocked up more than 7.8 million views, Penny suggested that, when a dying person reaches their arms out in front of them, it could well be that they're embracing a loved one nobody else in the room can see.
In another similar video, she remarked that, when a person makes stroking movements with their hands, this could perhaps be perceived as them stroking a beloved pet for the final time.
Such clips have struck an emotional chord with many followers, who recall witnessing similar things themselves at the deathbed of someone close to them.
One person said: "My grandfather greeted somebody with a name we couldn't recognise. We all found out that was the name of their first son, which died at eight months old."
Another commented: "My dad passed last week. One of the last things he said was 'good boy Randy.' He was our dog who passed 35 years ago."
Penny has also shared how many hospice patients will confide in nurses when it comes to their final thoughts and regrets, and she's noticed similar themes reoccurring over the years.
She continued: "Generally speaking, people [who are dying] talk about wishing they had worked less, spent more time with family, that sort of thing.
"But the one I’ve never forgotten was the man who told me one morning that he regretted doing chemo for his lung cancer. He died the same afternoon he said that to me."
Has your work given you an insight into areas of life many of us don't fully understand? Email us at julia.banim@reachplc.com
