Tuesday, January 28, 2014

We Kick Off the Blog

Wake Up Call


An occasional blog to 
help each other wake up to 
possibilities of an enriched end of life and
a good death.
We welcome ideas, articles, comments, stories from all corners
of the Wake Robin Community
(residents, staff, Board) welcome!
Send to Mike Dabney at coach.faculty@gmail.com or place

in Mike’s mailbox #702.

But you have found us!
Welcome!

All of us know this is our Final Stop.   We’ll leave each other quickly, slowly, at ease, and possibly not at ease.    Some of us have family and close friends who will stick with us to the end.   Many of us do not.   

Whatever our situation, this blog is designed to stimulate our thinking about our last days and provide some resources to make the transition easier and more meaningful.

Our Wake Robin culture lifts up the values of both privacy and connection.   A blog allows for both.   You can send us items and ask not to have your name attached.   Or you can request that your name be shared, signaling your willingness for further contact on the item you submit.

You can choose to read the blog or not.  If you want to read regularly, we suggest that you bookmark the blog address.  Our commitment is simply to share items that at least one Wake Robiner has found to be truly useful.  

This blog is being started by Jackie McMakin and Mike Dabney who will keep it going for as long as it is useful and we have the energy to keep it up.    Let either of us know if you’d like to help in any way.  

Where is Zail Berry?

Zail is in Scotland!

As many of you know, Zail Berry, the Palliative Care doctor who kicked off our series of community education programs on enriching the end of life, is away from Vermont for about six months, in Scotland.  She sent a note that includes this reference:  

. . . . here is the blog of Louise Diamond, who I think you have heard about and may have visited her website.  Far more meaningful than mine will be!

http://blog.louisediamond.com/  She has a new post today in which she very articulately describes what the experience of cancer is like.