Nurse sings to elderly woman dying of cancer, holds her hand

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (CBS NEW YORK) A kindhearted nurse went above and beyond the call of duty to bring comfort to one of her patients who was dying of cancer.

Nurse Olivia Neufelder sat with Margaret Smith for hours as her anesthesia wore off.

Smith’s daughter, Megan, shared a touching and emotional video on Facebook of the nurse holding her mother’s hand and singing her a song.

“You never left her side by choice!” Smith wrote. “Words cannot describe the appreciation and love we feel for nurse Olivia who mom calls her angel! Your dedication to your patients is beyond any that I have seen, you truly are a beam of light and I cannot thank you enough for the compassion and care and love you shared for my mother. God bless you Olivia!”

Neufelder said her heart breaks thinking about losing Margaret.

“Knowing that she will be dancing in the heavens and singing with the angels helps me find peace during this somber time,” Neufelder said. “This experience has challenged me in many ways.”

The nurse hopes those who watch the video see what true compassion looks like and begin to practice it themselves.

“I pray this story helps people find comfort through a dark time they may be going through,” she said.

Margaret was later moved from the hospital to a nursing home, where she reportedly died on Wednesday, according to CBS46.