Month: June 2025

EOLPodcast

Ep. 506 Pediatric Palliative Care and the Remarkable Children it Serves with Bob Macauley MD

kwyattmd

Learn about the specialty of pediatric palliative care and how one doctor has benefitted from his relationship with his seriously ill patients.

My guest Dr. Bob Macauley is one of only a few hundred pediatricians in the U.S. specializing in palliative care for children with life-threatening illness. Uniquely Dr. Macauley attended both divinity school and medical school at the same time, which gives him a spiritual perspective on palliative care as well. He is the author of the recently published book Because I Knew You: How Some Remarkable Sick Kids Healed a Doctor’s Soul. Learn more at his website:

robertmacauley.com

Get the book here

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • What makes pediatric palliative care different from adult care
  • How children understand and cope with their own mortality
  • How his training as both a doctor and an Episcopal priest intersect in his approach to care
  • Some of the remarkable stories of children he has encountered
  • The challenges and rewards of supporting families during the most vulnerable times
  • Why the presence of joy and sorrow often coexist in children’s experiences
  • The spiritual and emotional lessons Dr. Macauley has learned from his work

Links mentioned in this episode:

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, and thank you to Yoshimi Kanagawa for buying me 5 coffees and to Kathleen Cheetham who made a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 505 How Death Doulas Fill the Gaps in End-of-Life Care with Kacie Gikonyo RN

kwyattmd

Learn how death doulas are improving end-of-life care in our medical system by tending to things that often get ignored.

Portrait of Kacie Gikonyo, RN and Death Doula, guest on End-of-Life University podcast episode discussing how death doulas support better dying experiences.

In this episode, I’m joined by Kacie Gikonyo, founder of The Death Doula Collective and Death Doula School. Drawing on more than a decade of nursing experience, Kacie shares how death doulas are helping to transform end-of-life care by addressing the emotional, spiritual, and relational needs that often go unmet by the medical system. We discuss the gaps in Western medical care, the shifts needed in how we approach dying, and how death doulas are bridging the divide with presence, advocacy, and compassion. Learn more at her website:

deathdoulakacie.com

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • The limitations of Western medical care at the end of life
  • What death doulas provide that hospitals and hospice often cannot
  • How cultural mindset shifts could improve death care for everyone
  • Why presence and non-medical support are essential for a good death
  • Training and certification insights from the Death Doula School
  • Stories of transformation from Kacie’s doula practice

Links mentioned in this episode:

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, and to everyone who bought me a coffee or donated on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 504 The Ash Rose: Transforming Grief into Beauty with Ian McCartor

kwyattmd

Learn about making beautiful memorial art as way of navigating grief and honoring loved ones.

“Ian McCartor, hospice nurse and founder of The Ash Rose project, smiling in a natural setting, wearing a dark shirt.”

My guest Ian McCartor is a hospice nurse, musician, and founder of The Ash Rose, a project that transforms the ashes of loved ones into beautiful rose-shaped keepsakes. In this episode, Ian shares how his work helps individuals navigate grief by creating tangible symbols of remembrance and healing. Ian shares his journey from hospice care to creating tangible symbols of remembrance, highlighting how art and creativity can aid in the grieving process. He delves into the inspiration behind The Ash Rose, the impact it has had on individuals coping with loss, and the broader implications of integrating beauty into end-of-life rituals. Learn more at his website:

theashrose.org

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • Ian’s journey from hospice nursing to creating The Ash Rose
  • The inspiration behind transforming ashes into rose-shaped keepsakes
  • How art and creativity can play a role in the grieving process
  • Stories of individuals who have found solace through The Ash Rose
  • The importance of honoring loved ones in unique and personal ways
  • Ian’s perspective on the intersection of grief, beauty, and healing

“Out of the ashes, something beautiful can still grow.”

Ian Mccartor

Links mentioned in this episode:

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, and to Barbara Walker for donating on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 503 Taboo Education: Changing the Way We Talk About Death with Samantha Waite

kwyattmd

Learn about breaking taboos around talking about death through a unique death education program in Australia.

My guest Samantha Waite is the quirky founding director of Taboo Education who works with individuals and groups in local, national (Australia) and international communities to resolve our taboo and confusion in talking about death. She is a long-time performing arts enthusiast as well as a trained counselor and youth worker with training in thanatology, psychotherapy and public health. She discusses some of the cultural differences around death and dying between the US and Australia and what Australia is doing right in terms of end-of-life care. Learn more at her website:

tabooeducation.com

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • How Samantha started Taboo Education
  • Why she chooses to dress in Victorian mourning clothes and how it serves her message
  • Why we sometimes wish people still wore mourning attire
  • Cultural differences between Australia and the U.S. in the death and funeral industry
  • Which countries have the best end-of-life care (and why some wealthy countries are failing)
  • Why the US is 43rd globally in providing care at end of life
  • Issues for healthcare providers around seeing death as a failure
  • The death doula movement in Australia

Links mentioned in this episode:

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, and to Kristina Oswath, Christine Maleck, and Patricia Cates for donating on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.