Woman comforts her dying cousin with a loving gesture just hours before being taken off life support

Although death is an inevitability, there's nothing in the world that can prepare people to see their loved ones pass away. Watching close friends and family suffer in silence leaves people feeling helpless, as there is nothing they can do to make them feel better. This helplessness in its own right is an incredible heartbreak that's too hard to tolerate. Danielle, who goes by @not_your_wifee on TikTok, experienced something similar when she watched her cousin, Amanda, on her deathbed. Following a long battle with addiction, Amanda was put on life support during her final moments. A day before Amanda was taken off life support, Danielle decided to do something truly special.

In a video, Danielle could be seen sitting beside Amanda and painting her toenails. "You will love your nails. They're pink, and you will love them," she said, as she felt her cousin Amanda's feet moving. Danielle could constantly feel her sister's feet moving, even though she was in a coma. The doctors kept saying that it was happening because of "nerve pressure," but Danielle believed that Amanda had ticklish feet, which is why she was moving so much.

"You can see the grief on my face. I kept looking at the camera because she was moving it, lol!" she shared in the caption. Talking to PEOPLE, Danielle shared that when she visited Amanda in the hospital, she noticed that her sister hadn't been cleaned up. "I wanted to do something small for her, something that felt normal even though everything else wasn’t," Danielle said. So, to make Amanda feel better, she brushed her hair, cleaned her face, and chose a soft pink nail paint to color her nails. 

Danielle's video garnered an overwhelming response on social media, leaving people emotional. For example, one user who goes by @chymosdope on TikTok commented, "As someone who survived coma/life support,. She knows you’re there. We feel the spirit, safety, and love 100%. You being there for her is massive. Sorry for your loss!" Similarly, another user (@neverrnirvana) wrote, "Sitting in that chair beside the patient in the hospital changes you. Saying your final goodbyes and leaving the hospital is such a surreal feeling, but I’m so glad to have gotten the chance to do that." User (@princxsspicsxs) shared, "Made sure my mom was bathed, hair washed. I brushed it and braided it one last time before she was taken off life support. I will always carry that with me."

Meanwhile, @mrsdorothykaygwynn revealed, "I truly believe she felt you there. My yaiyai (Greek grandmother) was on life support as I was talking to her; she squeezed my hand. I don’t think it was her nerves, like the doctor said it was." Reacting to the now-viral clip, a person @courtography added, "I painted my mama’s nails, plucked her chin hairs, and made sure she was ready to go. She always had to have beautiful nails, so I wasn’t going to let her leave this world looking rough." On a lighter note, a person (@hey_miche) wrote, "God forbid if I’m ever in a similar state, I just want the nurses to come chill and tell me the tea."

You can follow Danielle (@not_your_wifee) on TikTok for more such relationship-related content