A nurse who has seen many patients pass away has shared a comforting fact about death which she said many people don’t realise and takes away people’s fears.
Julie McFadden, 39, works as a hospice nurse, supporting adults who are coming to the end of their lives, and death is a regular part of her job.
As Julie goes about her work, visiting people’s homes to make sure they are as comfortable as possible before the end, she said many of them experience the same phenomenon of ‘visioning’.
Reactions vary but Julie, from Los Angeles, California, said ‘visioning’ is when dying people - who are often fully lucid - see deceased friends, family, and even pets.
This experience often occurs when people are close to death but it comes as a comfort to the person, rather than being a scary experience.
The former ICU nurse said: "It happens most of the time at the end of their life, but they aren't delusional.
"It's called 'visioning' and it's often very comforting for the person.
"It's never scary - if they're scared, it's likely they're experiencing delirium or paranoia, not visioning.
"People don't talk about it much but it's really common and more than half of people I have looked after have experienced it.
"It's so normal to fear death and I've had several patients who have expressed their fear - but then a family member came to them and they were no longer scared."
Julie, who works with people of all ages with life-limiting conditions, said visioning will usually occur around a month before a person passes away.
But if a person experiences it, it's not an indicator that they're experiencing psychosis or low on oxygen - they're conscious and lucid.
She said they will only ever see loved ones who have passed away, such as family, friends, and even pets.
She said: "Sometimes patients say they had a loved one come in a dream, or for others they're awake.
"Lots of times people who have experienced this will say 'I know this sounds crazy' - they're very aware of what's going on."
Julie shared an explanation on TikTok, where she posts videos as @hospicenursejulie, where she tries to educate people about death.
The video garnered nearly 100,000 views - and people flocked to the comments to share their reactions.
Many agreed they had family members who experienced it - and it was a comforting experience, as Julie claimed.
One said: "My dad saw his siblings, my mom saw her sister and heard my dad, my grandma saw her son who preceded her in death. It's beautiful to witness.
Another said: "A few days before my grandmother passed she told a nurse that her father was waiting for her. This was very comforting to my mom at the time."
Meanwhile, others said the video had brought them comfort and helped to alleviate their fear of death.
One said: "This is the number one reason I'm no longer afraid to pass... I can't wait to see them all again. It seems peaceful."
Another agreed: "I hope this happens to me. I have someone that I need to come get me."
