My journey to become an End-of-Life Doula started decades ago in college.

While pursuing a degree in Psychology, I took a class called the Psychology of Dying. It was here I realized my passion for end-of-life care and seniors.

I was exposed to the idea that it is okay to talk about death and dying, that honoring end-of-life decisions can be possible and that grief is not only real but something that each person will experience differently.

The Terri Schiavo case in the early 1990’s further fueled my passion for the need for end-of-life documentation. Around that same time, my grandmother chose not to honor my grandfather’s wishes to be cremated before being buried. She skipped the cremation and buried him.

When my maternal grandmother was nearing the end of her life, she had no advanced directives in place, leaving difficult decisions solely in the hands of my mom. These personal situations further fueled my passion but moving and starting a family took me away for a few years until I stumbled into a job at a home health care agency.

Over 10 years in home health allowed me to revisit my passion for seniors and end of life care. I was able to work with seniors and become an advocate for Hospice. Even though hospice was not a service we offered, I went to every training and meeting I could find to learn more about the services.

Through community outreach, I served on committees to help further the hospice cause and encourage providers in the community to have difficult conversations about end-of-life care.

I left the home care agency and started publishing a senior resource guide. The 12-year experience with the guide helped me fine-tune my passion for hospice and end of life planning and care. During my tenure with the resource guide, both of my parents passed away. Neither had advanced directives in place, and neither had a will.

This horrific experience, along with the countless stories I hear from families having to make last-minute decisions they are not prepared to make, pushed me to follow my passion, fine-tune my skills, and become an End-of-Life Doula.

Through real-life experience, decades of serving seniors, and the compassion to help folks at the end of life, I am here to help normalize death, guide, and support.