A Tennessee nurse comforted a dying cancer patient by singing the woman's favorite song at her bedside, and the emotional moment has gone viral, WTVF reported.

Margaret Smith, 63, was admitted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville as her health declined due to liver cancer. She was waiting for a liver transplant, but doctors said health was too poor to survive the operation, WTVF reported.

Before she was moved to a nursing home in Cookeville, Smith was serenaded by nurse Olivia Neufelder, who sang her favorite song -- “Dancing in the Sky,” by Dani and Lizzy, WTVF reported.

"There was almost a sense of peace knowing that it was her favorite song and she did tell me it's the song she wants played at her funeral," Neufelder told WTVF. "She didn't feel like a patient at that time. I wanted her to know that she was loved even if her family wasn't able to be there."

Smith died Wednesday in the Cookeville nursing home.

“I recently lost my grandmother and went through a similar experience and I was singing to her as she passed too. Margaret really has helped me more than she knows,” Neufelder told WTVF.

The video was posted on Facebook early Tuesday by Smith’s daughter Megan Smith, and has been liked by 3.4 million viewers as of Friday morning.

“Your dedication to your patients is beyond any that I have seen,” Megan Smith wrote in a message directed toward Neufelder. “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.”

Smith is survived by a daughter and son. A gofundme account has been set up to help with funeral expenses.

About the Author

Keep Reading

The city of Brookhaven's mayor and City Council last week decided to remove the colored panes of glass from the dome of Brookhaven's new City Centre after residents objected to the brightness of the colors, seen here Friday, June 27, 2025. (Reed Williams/AJC)

Credit: Reed Williams/AJC

Featured

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. (center) is flanked by GOP whip Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo. (left) and Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, as Thune speak to reporters at the Capitol in Washington on Tuesday, July 1, 2025. Earlier Tuesday, the Senate passed the budget reconciliation package of President Donald Trump's signature bill of big tax breaks and spending cuts. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

Credit: AP