Since 2005, I have spent my career working as an OB nurse at UIHC. Caring for people during times of great transition has always been something I have been passionate about, and something I feel called to do. My interest in grief and end-of-life work began several years ago, and it is through my personal and professional experiences, that I found my way to hospice volunteering. I have seen first-hand what a difference it can make to truly be present at the bedside of someone who is dying. Hospice has been a life changing experience for me, and one in which I am so very grateful. After volunteering through the Mealtrain program at The Bird House in Iowa City since the pandemic, I began volunteering in the house in early 2023. It was during that time that I also became certified as an end-of-life doula. I now organize The Bird House’s Mealtrain program, as well as volunteer as a doula in the house. My areas of interest are grief, legacy work, creating memories, companionship, and finding peace in those final days. We have recently formed a grief committee at The Bird House, and are continually working to make the dying experience more peaceful and loving for the guests and their families.  We could all learn so much by sitting at the bedside of someone who is dying, and getting in touch with the humanness within each of us. It is some of the most important work that we will ever do.

Education: Registered nurse, University of Iowa (2005)

Certifications: Death Doula-International Association of Professions Career College (2023)

Certificate in Holistic and Integrative Health (2022)

Certificate in Food, Nutrition, and Health (2022)

Herbalist Certificate through International Open Academy (2020)

Contact: Currently not taking clients except for the Bird House.