I am a doula in training, having started out as a nurse, a midwife and then in the latter twenty years taught primary aged children. I have four children from whom I learned much about growing into life. While from my old mother – and the unexpected deaths of my beloved young sister and middle-aged husband – I learned, intimately, about the more hidden nature of leaving life; and how death shapes those of us left behind.
I have become passionately interested in the last phase of life. These final steps are often fraught with complexities, loss, grief and many practical considerations but I know too that death holds its own profundity. As a doula I bring skills and experience that can assist clients and their dear ones to plan wherever possible to support a smoother journey. I am a good listener and believe that it is important to enable individuals, particularly at this end stage, to express their wishes and preferences – and for this to be respected. I also enjoy finding creative responses to problems wherever I can.