hospice volunteer – End of Life University

Learn about the challenges of coping with loss, grief and uncertainty that accompany a life-limiting illness.

My guest Novelette Munroe is a poet, artist and hospice volunteer who was born with a rare and life-limiting genetic skin condition called Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB.) Despite dealing with ongoing and constant medical issues Novelette manages to volunteer her time in hospice and peer bereavement in her local community. She discusses the challenges of her life journey and how she has managed to cope with multiple losses caused by her illness and the deaths of several friends who also had EB. Learn more about Camp Discovery for kids with skin diseases:

www.aad.org/public/public-health/camp-discovery

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

What life has been like dealing with EB
The importance of connecting with others who are experiencing a similar illness and how summer camp changed everything for Novelette
Why Novelette decided to become a hospice volunteer
How Novelette developed “grief literacy” with the help of teachers
Practices that have helped her cope with ongoing illness, uncertainty and grief
The benefits of mindful self-compassion for grief and illness
What Novelette wishes medical professionals understood about helping patients with life-limiting illness

Links mentioned in this episode:

Register for Seriously Let’s Talk
VIDEO: Kaley Cuoco and Courteney Cox discuss their fundraising support for EB research
Book: Mindfulness and Grief by Heather Stang
Get EOLU Podcast Merch here
Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here
Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul
Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio
Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here
Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!
Buy me a coffee
Donate on Paypal

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, especially my newest donor Marian Head! Your contributions make all the difference.

Learn how a long journey through cancer prepared Anna to be a hospice volunteer and inspired her spiritual growth.

My guest Anna Byrne holds a combined degree in Psychology and Gerontology, is a certified teacher, and has been a coordinator for a hospice society in British Columbia. She survived 4 cancer diagnoses in her 30’s and then worked as a volunteer for an elderly hospice patient throughout one entire summer. She is the author of the book Seven Year Summer which tells the story of her own journey through cancer and her days of sitting at Eleanor’s bedside, discussing life and the approach of death. Learn more at her website:

https://annabyrne2.wixsite.com/mysite

Get the book here

Listen here:

This episode includes:

How Anna’s perspective on cancer changed throughout her 4 diagnoses
The “hero’s journey” of cancer treatment and how it fell apart for Anna
The spiritual tools and support that helped Anna navigate her illness and losses
The use of “battle” metaphors in medicine and how they cause harm
The difference between curing and healing
How Anna’s suffering prepared her to be a hospice volunteer for Eleanor
The difference between chronos and kairos time
How caregivers can better support patients who are facing the end of life
How writing the book helped Anna heal some of the trauma of her cancer journey

Links mentioned in this episode:

The Conference on Death and Bereavement Studies: A Professional Development Symposium – January 10, 2021 Learn more here
Spiritual Journeys in Chronic Illness Course – with Terri Daniels – starts January 7th Learn more here
Sign up for the 2021 online reading group A Year of Reading Dangerously at this link
Support you local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul
Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio
Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here
Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it). PLUS get our new bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!

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! Your contributions make all the difference!