Hospice nurse shares chilling story about woman who may have 'chosen' moment of death

Dying patients are unique, but they share some similarities, as the process of dying remains pretty much the same for everyone. People can die at an unexpected time, but it appears some choose the moment they will leave their body. A hospice nurse has taken it upon herself to educate dying patients' families about what to expect, and how to react when you are caring for a loved-one. Here's what you should know.

Can people choose when they are ready to die?

Hospice nurse Julie McFadden recently shared a video on her YouTube channel where she explains that she has seen some patients choose when they are ready to die. Indeed, some patients can hold on for a special anniversary or birthday, or until a loved-one comes to visit them from far away. Others choose to pass away when they are alone in their room, and one can imagine they decide to spare their family the pain of seeing them die.

In this particular video, nurse Julie picks the example of a patient in particular, an elderly woman who lived with her caregiver and her disabled son. She almost wasn't admitted into hospice because she was doing 'so well'. However, a couple weeks later, nurse Julie was called in to do a 'death visit'. She was very surprised because this patient had not been declining, and did not have any particular issues.

This woman passed away suddenly

Nurse Julie then asked the woman's caregiver about how the woman seemed right before she passed away. The person explained:

She was perfectly fine last night and we were doing the same thing we always do, on Sunday nights we make blueberry muffins together, and she was fine.

She went to bed and called me over, and she was acting kind of funny. She said 'I love you, thank you for taking care of me. Promise me when I'm gone you'll take care of my son'.

The caregiver was taken aback and asked why she was saying all this, as she seemed to be fine. The woman answered:

Listen, I'm tired, I'm going to go home.

The woman then asked her caregiver to go get her son so she could speak to him. They exchanged a private conversation, and her son hugged her goodnight before leaving the room. The next morning, when the caregiver went into the woman's room, she was dead. There was no evidence that she had taken her own life.

It was like she just knew, and she chose.

Read more:

Terminal lucidity: Hospice nurse explains this common phenomenon that happens right before you die

Visioning: Hospice nurse explains this common phenomenon which happens weeks before dying

Hospice doctor explains what happens when we take our last breath: 'It's so not like on the television'

Sources used:

YouTube: People choosing when to die

Marie Curie: Final moments of life