Nothing to Fear Quotes

“a pet will behave in a very protective way around their dying owner. They refuse to leave their owner’s side. They may lie on the bed with the person who is dying, or they might lie under it. Just like people can experience something beyond this world, it appears that our pets also can be in touch with the beyond.”
― Julie McFadden, Nothing to Fear: Demystifying Death to Live More Fully

“some people wait until their loved ones have left their bedside before dying. Sometimes these family members have kept vigil for hours or days, yet it’s when they finally step away that the person dies. Whether they leave to go home and rest for the night or just step out to grab a cup of coffee, that’s when the person—often someone who’s more private or introverted, who prefers time alone—dies. When someone chooses to die when no one’s around, family members have confessed to me that they feel guilty, as if somehow they’ve failed their loved one by not being present with them in the actual moment of their death.”
― Julie McFadden, Nothing to Fear: Demystifying Death to Live More Fully

“During death, however, people get concerned because the dying person’s eyes might be open but they’re not making eye contact, or just one eye is open or partially open. This happens because it takes a lot of muscles to blink our eyes or keep them shut. During the actively dying phase, those muscles are relaxed and no longer working unconsciously so the eyes stay open or partially open.”
― Julie McFadden, Nothing to Fear: Demystifying Death to Live More Fully

“Additionally, the dying person likely won’t be speaking at the end. Despite what we see in the movies, people usually don’t deliver an inspiring monologue moments before death. Many people don’t realize that it takes a lot of energy to speak. Air has to be pushed out of the lungs and over the vocal cords. When someone is close to death, their diaphragm is weak. They don’t have the energy to get that air through their vocal cords to use their voice normally.”
― Julie McFadden, Nothing to Fear: Demystifying Death to Live More Fully

“This person isn’t dying because they’re not eating and drinking; rather, they’re not eating and drinking because they’re dying.”
― Julie McFadden, Nothing to Fear: Demystifying Death to Live More Fully

“Maybe a physical disease is slowly progressing. Or perhaps dementia has gradually been changing the person you know and love. In these cases, it’s natural to begin to grieve while your loved one is still with you.”
― Julie McFadden RN, Nothing to Fear: Demystifying Death to Live More Fully

“We hide it. We embalm it. We put makeup on it. We photoshop it. We don’t say the d-word. We get a babysitter for the kids while we attend a funeral. And even if we do allow the body of a person who’s died to be viewed at a funeral or memorial service, we make 100 percent sure that it looks as alive as possible.”
― Julie McFadden RN, Nothing to Fear: Demystifying Death to Live More Fully

“Since I was a little girl, I’ve always felt homesick for a place that I couldn’t quite remember, and now I think I understand why. I think that when we die, we awaken in a place we’ve always known but had forgotten.”
― Julie McFadden RN, Nothing to Fear: Demystifying Death to Live More Fully