Sara is a North Carolina transplant with a previous career in elementary & science education. She’s presently a homeschooling mother of four balancing a blessed life as an End-of-Life Doula. She has a special place in her heart for parents with terminally ill children, as well as those caregiving elderly with Alzheimers and dementia. She values community, connection and serving others. She brings a lifetime of experience, an open and honest heart, and a strong knowledge foundation. Providing your loved one and your family with upmost care and compassion is her goal.
Sara feels doula service is a work of heart. She considers it both humbling and an honor to carry out these services with her clients; attending bedside, holding space, and providing direct support during the imminent time of transitional is, for her, the highest privilege in this line of work.
She is a passionate advocate for choice and options, in all areas of life, death being no exception. She has a personal desire to educate as many communities as possible about these choices. She believes the more you know and understand, the more empowered you become to make the best choices possible for yourself and your loved ones. Sara wishes to help facilitate the hard discussions while coaching clients through a personal exploration of life and, ultimately, their wishes for death in a dignified and supported partnership.
Personal Journey:
In late summer 2004, my Grandfather passed after years of decline due to Alzheimers. My Grandmother, suffering from dementia, died in the spring of 2013. Having witnessed both of their end-of-life journeys and the struggles faced, I desperately wished more support had been available for them and myself, as a caregiver. I didn’t do it alone, yet as my Gramma’s legal guardian, a lot fell on my shoulders. It was hard, exhausting, emotional, and bittersweet.
Although Hospice support can be (and was) amazing, the scope and availability of those services are very limited. As is the case, most care, even when a person is in a nursing home or other care facility, falls on one (or a limited few) support persons. The burden and burnout of caregiving is real. It’s difficult to care for yourself when you’re giving so fully to another. It was after experiencing these limitations and confiding in a few friends that the concept of a “death doula” was introduced to me.
Flash forward 15 years, after a career as an elementary educator turned homeschooling mother to four beautiful children, I finally arrived at a time in my life where I could turn my attention to this calling.
As I vivacious reader, I’ve consumed a vast number of texts on death and dying; books, blogs, articles, podcasts… I have also taking (and continue to enroll in) a wide variety of classes, seminars and workshops focused on end-of-life concepts to deepen my understanding and increase the tools I can offer to my clients.
I am passionate about my profession and wish to offer planning, care and compassionate transitioning to as many people as possible.
Credentials:
March 2019: American Red Cross – Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED Certification
December 2019: Conscious Dying Institute – Sacred Passage Doula Certification
Fall 2020 (expected): International End of Life Doula Association – INELDA Certification
Additional Training:
November 2019: International End of Life Doula Association complete training series
November 2019: Center for End of Life Transitions – Advanced Care Directives workshop series
May 2020: Center for End of Life Transitions – Home Wake & Funeral workshop series
Membership:
November 2019- forward: International End of Life Doula Association
January 2021- forward: National Home Funeral Alliance
Life Transitions ~ Sunrise to Sunset ~ Doula Care 