I am a death educator/death doula, grief support specialist, pediatric hospice volunteer, parent, and animal lover.

I have over five years of experience sitting bedside to the dying, and consider it an honor every time I am invited to support a family as they navigate one of life’s most difficult times.

When my grandfather lay dying in a nursing home bed, shortly after my youngest child was born, I remember having so many questions and no one to ask. Was he in pain? Could he hear me? Did he need anything? How did the nurses know he was dying? I felt embarrassed to ask and stupid for not knowing. My grandfather died the next day, and I set out to become the person that I needed that day.

After training with the International End of Life Doula Association, I started volunteering with TrinityCare Kids Hospice and Providence Hospice. I created a weekly online art class for pediatric hospice clients and their siblings. Art is a fantastic way to help children, families and even adults process grief and complex emotions.