Death By Design

Eileen Robertson Hamra is the woman you meet—at the gym, in the coffee shop, or dropping off the kids at school—with a story that draws you in the minute she begins to tell it. At age forty-one, after losing her husband in a plane crash, she became a single mother to three children aged eight, seven and four. Overnight, the man she thought she would spend eternity with, the literal pilot of her family’s wonderful life, was gone. When everything seemed broken, the future she dreamed about now impossible, Eileen had to make choices she never imagined making.What she did choose to do was peel herself out of bed those first few weeks of mourning, and with constant love and support from family and friends, she found a well of inner strength and she dipped down into it. Working through her own grief and the grief of her children, Eileen experienced a gradual spiritual awakening. The result? On the other side of tragedy, she found new love, gave birth to a miracle child, and rediscovered her calling: to build stronger, loving and ever evolving families.Eileen believes we don’t always get to choose what happens to us, but we do get to choose the story we tell when asked, “What happened?”With the intention of helping others tap into their inner resilience and reimagine adversity as an opportunity for growth, Eileen shares her story of loss and rebuilding in her memoir, Time to Fly. Because of her story—thanks to her story—Eileen has dedicated her life’s work to carrying on the legacy of the family she grew up with, the family she created with Brian and the family she continues to grow with Mike.Eileen holds transformational retreats in Chicago, Los Cabos and elsewhere. As a public speaker, certified yogi, holistic nutritionist, and life coach with an MBA, Eileen brings a practical, holistic and humanistic approach to everything she does. From creative advising to impact investing, to building strength emotionally or physically, Eileen holds space to stay focused on what she believes matters most—family, friends, and community.https://www.eileenrobertsonhamra.com

The Connecticut Association for Healthcare at Home is the largest member group of home health & hospice leaders championing home-based solutions as vital to better health in CT. Through networking, education and advocacy leadership, the Associations is helping those in the CT healthcare continuum get connected, be informed and create change.https://www.cthealthcareathome.orgTracy WodatchPresident & CEOCourtney VerissimoMembership & Events ManagerDoreen NapoliEducation & Events PlannerAlison ClarkOperations Manager

Olga is a death educator, certified in Thanatology, the study of death, dying, loss and bereavement. She is the founder and director of DyingMatters.ca and provides educational presentations and workshops on death, dying, loss and bereavement. She is one of the founding faculty members of the BEyond Yonder Virtual School for Death Midwifery in Canada. Olga has over 20 years of experience in health care, serving as a regional Hospice Palliative Care Planner, community palliative care nurse and healthcare educator. Her educational history includes a bachelor degree in Anthropology and Psychology, a Master’s degree in Religion and Culture, and an interdisciplinary certificate in palliative care. As a death educator Olga continues to gain knowledge in the field of spiritual care, death, dying and living. Olga is thrilled to be part of the We Can Die Better movement in Canada, contributing her experience, knowledge and passion.What makes Olga a great mentor is her ability to recognize that we all posses our own inner wisdom when it comes to death, dying, loss and bereavement, and that being a mentor is to assist in the expansion of that wisdom by offering new information, knowledge and insight. “I have learned much from my own mentors, teachers and guides, and strive to provide a non-judgemental approach to guide anyone in their own personal learning.”

Hunter Doherty"Patch"Adams(born May 28, 1945) is an Americanphysician,comedian,social activist,clown, andauthor. He founded the Gesundheit! Institute in 1971. Each year he organizes volunteers from around the world to travel to various countries wherethey dress as clownsto bring humor to orphans, patients, and other people.Adams is currently based inUrbana,Illinois. In collaboration with the institute, he promotes an alternative health care model not funded byinsurance policies.

Mariah Riess tells her story:MY STORYOn any given day, from my practice in Dover, MA, I speak with weight management clients from Seattle to Baltimore who seek compassionate support and expertise. Via phone, Skype or in person, I help many do the seemingly impossible: lose weight and develop skills to prevent weight gain.On a parallel track are clients who have experienced heartbreaking loss: both human and four-footed. Grief is an experience deserving compassion and expert care. If dismissed, suppressed or silenced, a world of pain may remain.In a culture that is ever hesitant to truly acknowledge the oh-so-human phenomenon of mourning, I have dedicated myself to providing a home for a different, kinder path.I discovered my constellations of callings through a series of events over the course of life.I began working with overweight patients in 1982. As an early stage employee of Health Management Resources,a Boston based start-up committed to providing effective, high quality behavioral treatment for overweight, I became Director of Overweight Treatment.HMR, a company on the rise and requiring many hours of dedication from each employee, was the perfect training ground as I was determined to make a difference with a population in despair.In my role, I co-led teams of trainers who implemented the program nationally,rapidly sharing and bringing this effective treatment method to many.Fast-forward fifteen years, while raising two children, Kerrin and Devon, and wanting to spend more time closer to home, I launched my private practice in Dover, MA.Bringing a compassionate, effective approach that would have a lasting impact requires teaching clients skills for weight loss and the prevention of weight regain. Working closely with my clients and having an appreciation for the deep challenge health management represents, allowed individuals and families to re-set, attaining lower weights and establishing healthier lifestyles.My practice quickly grew.While working closely with my clients on weight over many years, I also shared their personal losses - a parent, a child, a friend. In addition, I experienced the illness and passing of several dear to me. As a result, in 2013, I began to explore the profound challenges related to the process of mourning. This path included post-graduate training and many hours as a hospice volunteer. With these experiences and training, I incorporated grief support counseling into my practice.https://www.mariahriess.com/my-story“The world of loss is omnipresent in our lives. Grief does not have an expiration date. Often complex, heartbreaking, and confusing, loss may be difficult to make sense of or for others to be around. Grief and loss work is the way in which I can hold the hand of another and not let go, when others might.”

In her 40’s, Gabrielle went back to school to become a hospice nurse. She shares her difficult journey in her book “Soft Landing”. Becoming a hospice nurse opened her eyes and changed how she saw her world. She discusses some of the wonderful people she cared for until they passed, and the lessons she learned about life through death.https://www.thehospiceheart.net