Julie McFadden, widely known online as Hospice Nurse Julie, has built a large following by openly discussing death, grief, and end-of-life care. She has around 659,000 subscribers on YouTube, 520,000 followers on Instagram, and about 1.7 million followers on TikTok.
Alongside her online work, Julie has also written a book titled Nothing to Fear: Demystifying Death to Live More Fully, which earned her a spot on the New York Times bestseller list.
Those things include drinking alcohol every day, smoking or vaping, and riding a motorcycle or ATV.
When speaking about vaping, Julie said: “Vaping is just as bad [as smoking],” and added: “It affects more than just the lungs. It affects your whole cardiovascular system.”
Beyond lifestyle habits, Julie has often spoken about what patients tell her when they reach the final stage of life.
While appearing on Rob Moore’s Disruptors podcast in 2024, she explained that one of the first regrets people mention is spending too much time working. She also acknowledged that this is often unavoidable when people are trying to support themselves and their families.
Julie explained: “The main thing people say, that I don’t hear a lot of people mention, is ‘I wish I would have appreciated my health’.”
When people feel healthy, it can be easy to overlook how valuable that feeling is. Once illness sets in, many wish they had appreciated their health when they had it.
She shared: “I like the fact that I can breathe, I’m walking around, I can feel the sunshine – little things like that.”
“I think the biggest thing I hear from people [who are] dying is that they wish they would have appreciated how well they felt before.”
