In the face of death, your own or that of a loved one, who do you turn to?

As an End of Life Doula I can walk beside you, as you live your life, helping you to shape your experience, along with that of those around you. In the face of mortality, a shift in reality is necessitated. Shock may accompany the experience, the anticipation of grief may be keenly felt, lack of assuredness of what is to come may fill your being. But, just as living consciously is possible, so is dying consciously, and when this is enabled, it is ultimately a healing experience.

I have a great respect for life, and also for death. I believe it is important to do both as well as we can. It is important for we who live our life, and ultimately leave it, and it is important for those around us, those whom we love. There’s no greater privilege than being invited into the experience of walking beside a person who is living their life in the face of death. It’s a privilege to hear their story. It’s a privilege to share in their fears. It’s wonderful to witness them grow, to see them empowered.

Some of the services I provide for clients are, scribing life stories, collaboratively planning life celebrations, enabling home vigil after death, collecting, and then dispersing letters and memories to surviving loved ones, officiating funeral, and memorial services, sourcing readings and poems, as well as prayers respectful of individual belief systems, visiting clients in hospice, sourcing music, and reading material to share, and coordinating those who are a part of support networks.

My recent pilgrimage, walking 800 kilometres across Spain on the Camino de Santiago, deepened my understanding of, and empathy for those facing, or having experienced loss, and I now bring this to my work. I welcome conversations around illness and death, skilfully and sensitively facilitating these conversations, ensuring others feel comfortable in a space that we, in our society, often shy away from, or fear. I calmly, and lovingly interact in this space with those approaching death, empowering those with whom I work to have as positive, and healing experience possible.