MY STORY

I spent more than 25 years as an educator before I retired. Then I sat with several family members through hospice and their final weeks — and came away certain I wasn't done serving people. After some time to think it through, I earned my End-of-Life Doula Professional Certificate from the University of Vermont.

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Teaching is still what I love most. Most people have never heard of an end-of-life doula, or they assume it's a medical role. It isn't. I'm there for the parts hospice can't always cover: the long afternoons, the hard conversations, the questions nobody knows how to ask out loud. I help individuals and families understand what that support looks like and how it can make a death feel peaceful and dignified rather than chaotic.

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I also push people to plan earlier than feels comfortable. Getting your affairs in order and making your wishes known ahead of time is what preserves your independence and your choices later — about your care, and about what happens after you're gone. Those decisions are much harder to make well in a crisis.

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I'm a member of the National End-of-Life Doula Association and the Florida End-of-Life Doula Association. Down the road, I'd like to build a program that teaches Certified Nursing Assistants the principles of doula care — practical skills for supporting patients at the end of life, and honest preparation for the emotional weight that comes with it.

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Outside of this work, I volunteer with hospice, paint in watercolor, ring handbells, play pickleball, and travel with my husband every chance we get.