Category Archives: Professional Advice

A Sustainable Funeral Director Offers “A Ferrari for Every Funeral”

An Interview with Susanne Duijvestein explores the healing power of truly personalized funerals

In 2017, after 11 years of working in the financial sector, Susanne Duijvestein decided to follow a new path. Susanne is now a funeral director, who specializes in sustainable, non-traditional funerals. Since starting her company, Bij Afscheid, she has helped … Continue reading

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A Virtual Team Huddle Brings More Humanity to Cancer Care

An Interview with oncologist Hoa Le, M.D., who introduced the huddle to his oncology practice

Medical professionals cannot prevent death, but Hoa Le, M.D. is working to provide patients with what he describes as a “beautiful, dignified” end-of-life experience. Le, who’s been an oncologist for the past 17 years and currently practices at Kaiser Permanente … Continue reading

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California’s “Ryan’s Law” Allows Medical Cannabis Use in Healthcare Facilities

A long-time dedicated nurse offers her perspective on its benefits and future

KJ Page is a registered nurse and board certified in gerontology. She has been caring for the elder population in myriads of roles for more than three decades, currently serving as administrator for Chaparral House, a non-profit skilled eldercare community … Continue reading

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A Grieving Mother Finds Her Calling in Supporting Pediatric End-of-Life Care

An interview with Toula Saratsis, a pediatric death doula

Toula Saratsis didn’t seek out becoming a death doula so much as she stumbled upon a calling. After caring for her daughter Angelica through her life-threatening metabolic condition for seven years, Toula had faced the prospect of her daughter dying … Continue reading

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Surfing the Waves of Grief

J'aime Morrison uses movement to address the grief we physically hold in our bodies

In 2015, J’aime Morrison lost her husband, Jim, to brain cancer. Morrison, who is a professor of movement and theater at California State University, Northridge, has a long history with dance and movement – including classical ballet, choreography, modern dance, … Continue reading

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Maggie’s Cancer Centers: Why Architecture Matters in Healthcare

An interview with Ann-Louise Ward, the Chief Operating Officer of Maggie’s, a nonprofit providing holistic cancer care based in the UK

  What happens when an artist is confronted with a problem? Often, the artists look for creative ways to deal with the issue. When writer and garden designer Maggie Keswick Jencks was confronted with a cancer diagnosis in the early … Continue reading

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