How it all Started
It all started when I 17 years young, when I knew something wasn’t right with my grandma. It was the middle of January and I had gotten a call from my grandpa saying that my grandma wasn’t breathing. I got on my bike and biked through the winter night to their place. A about a week prior I had taken a CPR course at school, so I immediately started to perform CPR on my grandma, but it was already to late. I was in charge of then calling the coroner and the processes to follow at their house. My grandma’s funeral was my first ever funeral.
13 years ago, my dad passed away and it was the turning point where my life changed and I discovered my calling in life. I saw my dad two days before he passed away suddenly of an aortic aneurism. I was devastated that I could not be there to hold is hand. I did not have any closure. My dad wanted to be cremated, but at this point in time I was terrified of cremation.
Around this same time, I had “seen” my grandma and I started to take a more spiritual approach to life. This is where I started my journey life coaching and became a Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration affiliate. At this time, I was staying with a mentor of mine who had an inoperable brain tumor for 3 months. I also stayed with another friend to had bone cancer as well and was there the day she passed. At this time, I had 3 people in my life pass away with in 3 months of each other.
Following this I knew I had to do something more. I started to volunteer at Gundersen in the end of life and hospice unit. I have continued to grow my knowledge about the end of life and got certified as an end of life doula. I really feel that I am where I am called to be; advocating for hospice and palliative care and working through forgiveness issues along with being present in your life and making sure no one dies alone.