Yvette
In 2016 Yvette Bredice began to search for deeper meaning to her life. She knew she wanted more than a second career. She wanted to do something purpose driven, not knowing yet where that would lead her.
After two years of being quiet and embracing, the unknown things became very clear. After her own near-death experience/memory surfaced, she understood why the idea of death never really scared her. Her near-death experience opened up a place of knowing and accepting that Life and Death are really ONE event. This knowing also left her with the ability to relate to the fear that we often experience at end of life. She has a tremendous ability to accept souls right where they are without judgement. She is a true empath.
In 2018 she took the training course offer by the International End of Life Doula Association (INELDA). She loves being and working as a Doula. She also volunteers for TMC Hospice here in Tucson, AZ. She has taught several classes at TMC Seniors.
Yvette started Tucson End of Life Doulas in 2018. Her intention was to create a hub for local doulas: A place to come together and collectively support each other while working as End of Life Doulas in our community. With high standards being met, all the Doulas will meet you with dignity, compassion, and respect right where you are.
Contact Yvette at: (520) 904-3389 or ybredice@gmail.com
Staci Snyder
Staci has been serving individuals and families of all ages, working as a master’s level social worker since 2003. Most recently, Staci served as a hospice social worker. During her time working in hospice, Staci’s passion for all things end of life expanded greatly.
Staci’s personal mission is to provide the community with emotional and practical end of life support, education and advocacy. No matter your age or health status, Staci believes it is important to know and understand all options available at the end of life, as well as both during and after death.
Whether you want or are in need of education and support for yourself or a loved one, Staci can assist and support, offering a broad range of services to meet individual needs. Staci’s calm demeanor and intuitive nature has provided countless individuals and families with comfort, emotional support, practical guidance and empathetic solution focused problem solving. Staci can respond to time sensitive and unplanned events with a comforting presence intended to reduce anxiety.
Staci is non-judgemental and is welcoming to all. As an End of Life Doula, she understands this journey is not about her and is all about you. The only agenda Staci has is to protect dignity, empower others, and deliver peaceful and comforting service. Staci’s goal is to assemble or join the team. She wishes to compliment what is already in place or help to build strong supports around those who are in need. Staci is the owner of FairWell Consulting which aims to be an all encompassing resource for all things end of life. Give the gift of knowledge, planning and support to yourself and your loved ones. You are deserving.
Contact Staci at (520) 815-9700 or contact@fairwellconsulting.com
Donna Cook
Donna Cook is a certified end-of-life doula through Merilynne Rush and The Dying Year (www.thedyingyear.org). She is a member of the National End-of-Life Doula Alliance, and is NEDA proficient. Donna is an ordained minister, a National Board Certified Counselor, holds a PhD in Spiritual Science and a Masters Degree in Spiritual Psychology, and is certified in reflexology.
Being of service has always been a motivating factor and guiding principle in Donna’s life. Having had a long career as an educator and professional counselor, Donna now serves with passion and purpose as an end-of-life doula.
A concept Donna employs when working with individuals and families is that death presents sacred opportunities for reflection, resolution, learning and growth. Her own story about death and dying has changed from fear and dread to one of acceptance, and a vision of joy and peace in transition. This liberating shift in consciousness is fundamental in her desire to help others in their journeys.
Donna’s approach to care includes open-mindedness, trust, and compassion, with respect for the uniqueness of each individual and every situation. Donna is always grateful for opportunities to serve, encourage, and support the dying and their loved ones.
Contact Donna via email at: donnacook@comcast.net
Alison Butler
Alison Butler
Living in a compromised body, I have had to learn how to navigate medical systems and understand and synthesize medical terminology and information. This has given me deep insight and empathy into suffering and ways to think more expansively about what quality of life can mean.
After spending twenty years as a college professor, health issues required me to retire prematurely. I explored other ways to contribute to my community, particularly those that are underserved. Working as an end-of-life doula requires active listening skills and the ability to meet people where they are, along with the same degree of rigor, thoroughness, and critical thinking that I developed working as a teacher, mentor, and advisor.
My experience as my father’s primary caretaker during the last years of his life, along with volunteering with hospice as an end-of-life doula, deepened my understanding of how the needs, desires, moods, and capacities of a person moving towards end-of-life change and how to help respond to those changes.
Dying with intention allows people the opportunity to examine their values, wishes, and choices, and helps them choose how to spend the time they have left. Having a guide through the complex decisions and possibilities involved relieves the dying person and their family from having to learn and understand all the options available to them and helps ensure their loved ones are not burdened with unexpected decisions and responsibilities. Death is a life stage to be honored, witnessed, and benefits from being facilitated by a trained and attentive guide and companion. I bring a trustworthy, curious, open-minded, warm, and empathic presence.
In addition, as your end-of-life doula, we can work together to create a lasting legacy that could take the form of an ethical will, which has its roots in Judaism, a video of precious objects and their history, an annotated photo collage, or conduct a life review that which could then be put into a book or posted online available for both loved ones and future researchers. We are limited only by our joint imagination.
I have a Ph.D. from the University of Oregon, have studied with both the International Doula Life Movement and the International End-of-Life Doula Association, and completed an extensive course on End-of-Life Planning. I am also an amateur photographer and baseball aficionado.
Contact me via email at: Alison@navigatingdying.com or call (520) 222-9865
Amelia Whalen
Amelia Whalen is a lifelong learner, ever-curious about deepening connection to our life and death
experience. She aims to face both living and dying with an open heart. She is certified as an end-of-life doula by the Peaceful Presence Project and is NEDA Proficient.
Amelia has always lived close to death from losing her mother at age 7, her own near-death experience at 18, and her husband’s long illness and death in her 30s. Amelia works to ease the fear and uneasiness around death and grief, and has found that witnessing death and dying can be enriching and profound.
As a death doula, she recognizes the spiritual and emotional burdens that may come when facing aging, illness, dying, and death. Amelia gives support with understanding options for care and end-of-life planning.
She offers a steady presence as a witness and guide to the dying. She’s available to assist in
getting affairs in order, accomplishing day-to-day tasks, creating legacy work, creating sacred space and ceremony, and help in planning for body disposition and after-death wishes. She offers workshops inviting her community to approach death and dying with an inspired perspective and advocates for death literacy and open dialog around end-of-life options.
Amelia loves to play outside, especially rock climbing and mountain biking. She’s a founding member of the Sparkle Souls Art Collective, a group committed to building community and inspiring change.
She’s currently creating her next book: The Inspired Guide to Dying, a state-by-state guide to end-of-life planning and options.
Contact Amelia at 518-727-3334 or whalen.author@gmail.com
