Nancy Henson,
Dying Vigil Volunteer
I had always been drawn to the end of life patients while working as an RN on the medical floor at our local hospital. Being with my parents at the end of their lives and experiencing their care on Hospice in Arizona, I knew Hospice was something I wanted to be involved with.
After my parents died, I retired from nursing and took the Hospice of the Foothills Volunteer Training and did Respite and Friendly Visiting until Dying Vigil Training became available.
Dying Vigil really feeds my heart and soul. I see Birth and Death as sacred portals of this life, and it is such a privilege and honor to be a witness, to be a part of this sacred time.
All vigils are uniquely different: sometimes we are able to ease the passage with a cool washcloth to the forehead, by playing music, offering a hand to hold, supporting family members or just sitting and being present. All give me the opportunity to reflect on my own life and death. Many times I have the sensation that I am the one lying in the bed.
So I am grateful to Hospice for this experience. In our society we don’t talk much about death; we are afraid. But Hospice allows us time and space to reflect on our lives, to seek or grant forgiveness, to heal old wounds, to make peace and to let go without regrets. I am honored to be a part of this.