City of Hope End-of-life Symposium
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City of Hope End-of-life Symposium
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Gratitude Spotlight: Our Director Akhila Murphy and City of Hope’s End of Life Symposium
Attending the City of Hope End-of-Life Symposium in Las Vegas the week before Christmas was a profound, full-circle experience. By full-circle, I mean it was as if every death experience in my life, personally and professionally, led me to those three days of Continuing Medical Education (CME) focused on death and palliative care. As a faculty member, I spoke about medical aid-in-dying because of my mother's death story, but I was also there to learn as a social worker, psychotherapist, and recently trained end-of-life doula.
The speakers and attendees were doctors, nurses, spiritual care representatives, social workers, end-of-life doulas, and other healthcare professionals. Our own Akhila Murphy, EOL Doula, CoFounding Director of Full Circle of Living and Dying attended with me.
Akhila went with me as an attendee, but I gotta tell ya, she worked hard as a representative of Full Circle throughout those five days. I'd invited her to accompany me because I knew traveling with a colleague is more fun and the conference would be high-quality education in terms of death work. I had no idea how significant her presence would be or what I'd learn about her tireless dedication to this work.
Not only was Akhila fully engaged in learning over two days of presentations plus the medical aid-in-dying workshop on the third day, but she also spent time connecting with presenters, organizers, and attendees. And get this, during those five days away from home, she managed to help a family near Chico who’s loved one was planning to use medical aid-in-dying to end her terminal suffering before Christmas.
Yep, that's a lot to be doing, but there's more.
While Akhila was providing long-distance EOL doula services to the dying woman and her family, she also mentored our newest volunteer, End-of-Life Doula Rebecca Senoglu from Chico, CA, throughout the process.
And a most amazing thing happened. With Rebecca in attendance, the dying woman took the medications and passed away peacefully while I was in the workshop telling my mother's medical aid-in-dying story. Talk about full circle.
I am grateful for and impressed by Rebecca's compassionate presence for the family and competent representation of Full Circle. Welcome to our team, Rebecca! I want to thank Akhila from the bottom of my heart for representing Full Circle so beautifully while supporting me in my mission at the conference. Akhila helped me get through two airports, figure out how to use Uber, and find our way through the maze of Caesar’s Palace to a most delicious seafood dinner.
Among other incredible things, she also steadied my nerves when I seriously doubted my ability to speak. For those who've heard me tell my mom's story you might not believe it, but I was terrified. My advice for the nervous speaker whose gut freezes? Pack Smooth Move Senna Tea and bring along a Reiki practitioner.
Yep, Akhila is a master of many things, not just end-oflife care planning. And, just as important as all the seriousness, Akhila arranged for fantastic entertainment for us to enjoy after the symposium was over. The Beatles Love by Cirque Du Soleil is a must-see if ever you get a chance!
The symposium was educational, inspirational, and for me, transformational in terms of public speaking and storytelling; a full-circle experience that energized and filled me to the brim with gratitude for everyone that made it happen.
Thank you to City of Hope, Compassion and Choices, and everyone else on the planning committee who invited me to share my mom’s story. And to all of the fantastic speakers who shared your wisdom about dying and palliative care, you are an inspiration!
A special thank you to Dr. David Grube, Susan Gess, PharmD, APhA, Victoria Ramirez, LCSW, ACHP-SW, and Kim Callinan, MPP, PMP. These professionals shared the stage with me, educating attendees about medical aid-in-dying. I couldn't have done my part without them.
If you work with the dying, I highly recommend the City of Hope End of Life Symposium next year. I hope to see you there!
If you or someone you know has questions about family-led end-of-life care, after-death care, home funerals, medical aid-in-dying, or green burial, please don't hesitate to contact us. Everyone who volunteers with us is dedicated to serving our mission with compassion, empathy, and excellence.
Here's to 2022 and all the wisdom to come amidst the challenges.
Bonnie McKeegan, LCSW, FCLD Volunteer EOL Doula & Board Director
Attending the City of Hope End-of-Life Symposium in Las Vegas the week before Christmas was a profound, full-circle experience. By full-circle, I mean it was as if every death experience in my life, personally and professionally, led me to those three days of Continuing Medical Education (CME) focused on death and palliative care. As a faculty member, I spoke about medical aid-in-dying because of my mother's death story, but I was also there to learn as a social worker, psychotherapist, and recently trained end-of-life doula.
The speakers and attendees were doctors, nurses, spiritual care representatives, social workers, end-of-life doulas, and other healthcare professionals. Our own Akhila Murphy, EOL Doula, CoFounding Director of Full Circle of Living and Dying attended with me.
Akhila went with me as an attendee, but I gotta tell ya, she worked hard as a representative of Full Circle throughout those five days. I'd invited her to accompany me because I knew traveling with a colleague is more fun and the conference would be high-quality education in terms of death work. I had no idea how significant her presence would be or what I'd learn about her tireless dedication to this work.
Not only was Akhila fully engaged in learning over two days of presentations plus the medical aid-in-dying workshop on the third day, but she also spent time connecting with presenters, organizers, and attendees. And get this, during those five days away from home, she managed to help a family near Chico who’s loved one was planning to use medical aid-in-dying to end her terminal suffering before Christmas.
Yep, that's a lot to be doing, but there's more.
While Akhila was providing long-distance EOL doula services to the dying woman and her family, she also mentored our newest volunteer, End-of-Life Doula Rebecca Senoglu from Chico, CA, throughout the process.
And a most amazing thing happened. With Rebecca in attendance, the dying woman took the medications and passed away peacefully while I was in the workshop telling my mother's medical aid-in-dying story. Talk about full circle.
I am grateful for and impressed by Rebecca's compassionate presence for the family and competent representation of Full Circle. Welcome to our team, Rebecca! I want to thank Akhila from the bottom of my heart for representing Full Circle so beautifully while supporting me in my mission at the conference. Akhila helped me get through two airports, figure out how to use Uber, and find our way through the maze of Caesar’s Palace to a most delicious seafood dinner.
Among other incredible things, she also steadied my nerves when I seriously doubted my ability to speak. For those who've heard me tell my mom's story you might not believe it, but I was terrified. My advice for the nervous speaker whose gut freezes? Pack Smooth Move Senna Tea and bring along a Reiki practitioner.
Yep, Akhila is a master of many things, not just end-oflife care planning. And, just as important as all the seriousness, Akhila arranged for fantastic entertainment for us to enjoy after the symposium was over. The Beatles Love by Cirque Du Soleil is a must-see if ever you get a chance!
The symposium was educational, inspirational, and for me, transformational in terms of public speaking and storytelling; a full-circle experience that energized and filled me to the brim with gratitude for everyone that made it happen.
Thank you to City of Hope, Compassion and Choices, and everyone else on the planning committee who invited me to share my mom’s story. And to all of the fantastic speakers who shared your wisdom about dying and palliative care, you are an inspiration!
A special thank you to Dr. David Grube, Susan Gess, PharmD, APhA, Victoria Ramirez, LCSW, ACHP-SW, and Kim Callinan, MPP, PMP. These professionals shared the stage with me, educating attendees about medical aid-in-dying. I couldn't have done my part without them.
If you work with the dying, I highly recommend the City of Hope End of Life Symposium next year. I hope to see you there!
If you or someone you know has questions about family-led end-of-life care, after-death care, home funerals, medical aid-in-dying, or green burial, please don't hesitate to contact us. Everyone who volunteers with us is dedicated to serving our mission with compassion, empathy, and excellence.
Here's to 2022 and all the wisdom to come amidst the challenges.
Bonnie McKeegan, LCSW, FCLD Volunteer EOL Doula & Board Director
