People often ask why I was drawn to this work. It all began with the firm determination to get comfortable with death. When I was a young mother, I had a friend who had terminal cancer. I spent a lot of time with her, and supported her until her last month, when I shied away. I missed her final days, hours, and moments. I could have been there, instead I made a million excuses as to why I wasn’t. I later vowed I would never do that again - I would be present and look death in the eye for whoever needed me there.

Post Covid, when so many of us died alone and in strict medical surroundings, I came across INELDA’s End of Life Doula training. Here was my opportunity to take the leap into the unknown. Little did I know it would be the journey of a lifetime, a lifetime that includes death for all of us. Once I began, I realized that death does not have to be all about fear - it can be the most sacred, loving, and transformational parts of our life journey.

Bernadette