Hospice nurse reveals the two-word description one of her patients gave about the afterlife
Unfortunately, the afterlife doesn't offer any sneak previews or taster sessions for us to see what it's all about, so we don't have much to go off when we are imagining what it's like.
We all hope there's something nice in store on the other side for when our time eventually runs out, but in an ideal world, there would be some sort of try before you buy policy - just in case it's not our cup of tea.
However, this hospice nurse reckons that her experience has helped her gain a valuable understanding of it, as some of her patients on end-of-life care have managed to give her a brief, but informative, description of it.
Many of the people who Hadley Vlahos - better known online as @nursehadley - has looked after in their final days have left a lasting impact on her, but there's a few who have really changed her perspective on life - and death.
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The TikTok star admitted that certain encounters have even left her questioning her atheist beliefs, as she believes there is simply no other explanation for some of the things she has seen and heard.
She has even penned a book about her strange experiences while providing end-of-life care, titled The In-Between: Unforgettable Encounters During Life's Final Moments, which made it onto the New York Times best seller list.
Hadley, who enrolled in nursing school when she was 19, has now revealed the two-word description of the afterlife that one patient gave her which has really stuck with her all of these years.
The mum recently shared some of her most moving stories throughout her career as a hospice nurse in a video with YouTube channel End Well, explaining that one person she was caring for 'couldn't wait' to get to the other side.
She revealed that she was looking after a patient, who she fondly referred to as 'Miss Margaret', that had requested hospice care at home after medics warned she didn't have long left.
The woman's heart had stopped the night before Hadley met her, but she was brought back to life after receiving CPR - however, she was technically 'dead' for a brief moment.
Hadley explained: "The doctor warned me that her heart was going to give out at any minute and she probably would not even make the drive home, but that is not what happened at all.
"I actually got to spend many months with Miss Margaret and I was always amazed at how happy she was despite her circumstances - and she was not the first person to tell me to live life to the fullest."
But rather than that meaning Hadley needed to go out and explore the world, Margaret was saying it in the sense of 'finding joy in everyday'.
The nurse continued: "I always wanted to know what she saw when she died and I was always searching for that time to naturally ask her, but it never came.
"Instead, when she seemed happy with my understanding of what a life well-lived looks like, she offered it to me. 'It's beautiful you know,' she said to me out of the blue one day.
"I said, 'What is?' And she said: 'The afterlife. I can't wait.'"
Hadley admitted she had given up on the idea of the existence of the afterlife after a close friend passed away in high school, which made her question her religious beliefs, and she was still 'hesitant' when she started working in hospice.
But she admits she has no logical explanation for 'what the heck was going on' during some patient's final moments.
"This did not jive with my atheism," she joked.
She reckons it's a privilege 'just be there with them' when those she is caring for take their last breaths.
Hadley added: "I am no stranger to people saying that I smile too much for someone who works in hospice and I always smile back at them and say, 'It's a gift my patients gave me'. And they truly did."
Olivia Burke