Julie McFadden has been a registered nurse for over 16 years. She worked in hospital ICUs before transferring over to Hospice and Palliative Care. This past June, she released a highly-acclaimed book: "Nothing to Fear: Demystifying Death to Live More Fully". She also has a YouTube channel where she's already made hundreds of videos.
Julie is not afraid to get into the nitty-gritty details about death and dying that can be so emotionally difficult for so many of us. While being both matter-of-fact and gentle at the same time, she talks about the "death rattle" and other symptoms that tend to emerge in the last 24 hours of a person's life. She explains why so many patients are dehydrated at the end of their lives -- and why that's actually a good thing.
In another one of her videos, she explains why so many of us can be deeply upset when we see our loved ones pass with their mouths hanging open -- we believe that they're in agony or suffering while they're dying. But Julie explains that that's not really the case at all -- it takes a lot of muscles to actually hold our mouths closed. When we see others dying with their mouths open, it's a sign that our physical bodies are actually relaxing. Julie sums it up succinctly: "Our bodies are born knowing how to die."
Some of Julie's videos show actual patients that are actively in the dying process, which may be difficult to watch for more sensitive viewers. Following is a link to one of her videos which might be more comforting for all viewers: "Why You Shouldn't Be Afraid of Death and Dying":