I’m so happy YOU ARE HERE.

It means you’re curious! So am I.

Who is Dawn and why is she Dying To Talk?

So glad you asked. I love questions. They are the portal to discovering what matters most.

As a hospice and palliative care physician, many people assume I am the grim reaper (or at least work closely with her/him/them). I see myself much more like a fairy godmother. An amazing thing happens when we are faced with serious illness or loss. What is essential comes into sharpe focus. My primary job is to discover what matters most so I can make wishes come true. In the stories you will read and hear, I think you’ll come to see a magic wand is more like a question mark than a stick that sprinkles glitter (though I like those, too).

Join the journey

We are embarking on a trek. One that will follow the The River of Living. Navigating the landscapes of serious illness benefits from becoming familiar with a variety of terrains. These include climbing the Mountains and Cliffs of Diagnosis and Prognosis, trudging through the Mangroves of Anticipatory Grief, carefully stepping around the Tidepools of Reflection and learning to read the tides within the Sea of Grief. At times, we may find ourselves lost in the Desert of Dementia. And at some point, we will all encounter the Valley of Death. Whether or not your Forest of Families has an Understory that is complex we promise to dwell together into the Caves of Intention to Excavate the Gems of your most treasured possessions: the core of your unique identity. Only then will the Sheer Walls of Documentation hold the necessary scaffolding to make what often appears daunting, traversable. Once revealed, your signposts will be able to guide your every step.

If you like to listen to true stories that tap into the heart of what matters most, check out our podcast at: www.dyingtotalk.com.

To discover more about the keepers of this writing journey, visit Substack.com.