"That One Step": A Group Conversation
Reimagine’s Fall 2021 Theme “Grief, Growth, and Action” really resonated with us. Each one of our Featured Speakers has experienced the loss of a loved one. On our Grief Journey, we have taken to heart Lao Tzu's wisdom: A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
In this group conversation, we will share personal stories highlighting the single step of action we took that grew out of our grief. Do you have a similar lived experience? We welcome your sharing about your grief, growth, and action journey. Please come join our conversation.
MODERATOR:
Emma You
Emma You is a self-described end-of-life, human-centered-care enthusiast.
CONVERSATION LEADERS:
Virginia Chang, Ph.D., Certified End-of-Life Doula
Virginia Chang, Ph.D., is a certified end-of-life doula and founder of Till The Last (https://tillthelastdoula.com). She works with the dying and their families/caregivers to approach end of life in a positive, meaningful, and affirming way. She supports clients one-on-one and helps to advocate for and realize their needs and wishes. She currently works with the dying privately as well as a dedicated hospice and vigil volunteer. Virginia is passionate about sharing her knowledge; she is on faculty with the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine End-of-Life Doula Professional Certificate program and a leading mentor in the field. Virginia took “The Step” to become a doula, at the age of 55, in response to the grief of losing three loved ones in the short span of seven months. Out of that experience grew a desire to accompany and empower others who might be in a similar situation to plan for and cope with the overwhelming shock and sadness that these moments can bring.
Lily Liu, Family Caregiver
Lily Liu is a family caregiver for her mother who has a chronic illness. Her caregiving journey began as her father was dying from cancer and care tasks shifted to her responsibility. Lily’s “One Step” quickly identified itself: empowering herself with information so as to never again be blindsided by caregiving and end-of-life issues. She delivers her speech, “From The Dragging Daughter to The Dragon Daughter,” around the country to help empower other family caregivers.
MESO, Co-Founders Tida Beattie and Soyeon Davis
Tida Beattie and Soyeon Davis are end-of-life doulas, community educators, and grief activists. After discovering an absence of culturally appropriate end-of-life care resources for their immigrant families, this prompted their "One Step" to co-found MESO. MESO is dedicated to providing resources and support for immigrants and their families at the intersection of heritage, culture, care, loss, and grief.
Elizabeth Wong, MSN, RN, End-of-Life Doula
Elizabeth Wong, MSN, RN, is a daughter/caregiver, registered nurse, and end-of-life doula. In serving others, she often neglects her own needs, which impacts her ability to give good care to herself and family. When job burnout happened to her, the “One Step” Elizabeth took was actually taking a step back by practicing self-care. During this time, confronted by the anticipatory grief of losing her mother and the unexpected death of her estranged father, she trained as an end-of-life doula and co-founded Death Over Dim Sum, a bilingual discussion/dining experience for Asian Americans and end-of-life experts of all ages. Elizabeth co-created for Reimagine the Asian-American Table Talk Series as well as other events to hold space and give participants permission to take their first step in their loss and self-care journey.
Jade Young, MDiv., End-of-Life Consultant
Death is not a medical event. Jade Young, MDiv., is an interfaith hospice educator/chaplain. She was introduced to death and dying when her mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, followed by the loss of her father and brother. The family was highly educated in terms of medical care, but lacked awareness, tools, and education around spiritual care for the patient and the family during the death and dying process. Add to this, the cultural taboos around expressing feelings. The healing journey proved challenging, until a group of trained hospice volunteers provided a compassionate space for Jade to be fully expressed as she released the deep sadness over the loss of her loved ones. Since that time, Jade has left the world of business and entered graduate school to study pastoral care and grief counseling. Integral to her current life’s work is creating safe healing spaces for those who are grieving from any form of loss – to honor their psycho/spiritual process, to be healed from the inside out, and to discover the beauty, grace, and gift within the adversities.
