The Grim Reaper is not always reported as a frightening figure. My impression was he was just patiently waiting (Chorvinsky, 1997). His hands, skeletal, were patiently folded over each other inside the dark sleeves. His face was a skull with tiny red fires for eyes. It looked up at me when I appeared in the door. On the bed was a little gray-haired lady dressed in lace, propped up with pillows.īeside the bed stood this tall figure dressed in a monk’s robe with its head covered. I did not believe it! I went back down the hall and stopped at the room. I ran past this room, across from the central floor nurses’ station and had run past five rooms before it registered what I saw. I was running down the hall to my patient’s room so I could relieve the nurse in charge. Nurses also have reported seeing the Grim Reaper. The other thing I knew was I wasn’t bad enough or sick enough to go with him (Lawrence, 1997). He reported suddenly feeling very cold, below freezing.Īt the foot of my bed on the right side was a dark, gray, cloaked stranger. Ralph had an encounter with the Grim Reaper after being admitted to the hospital because of a heart attack. Most report that the figure simply fades away when told to leave. Undoubtedly, this is a frightening experience. The figure often makes individuals feel cold. The figure is described as wearing a hooded cloak, often faceless but occasionally a skeletal figure is visible underneath. Some individuals describe seeing the 'Grim Reaper' at the foot of their bed or during a near-death experience (NDE).

Death reaper