ABOUT
All of my life experiences have led me to answer a calling – to be a Medical Doula Professional, Life Closure Guide.
A Medical Doula Professional aids in defining and implementing the needs at end of life care. They can assist in the many details during the management of preparation for the transition to death.
Throughout my 30 years working as an Emergency Department Nurse, I saw the tragedy of unanticipated death. This experience has helped me focus on what elements are most important in supporting the dying and their families to make this final transition one of peace, instead of fear, pain and suffering.
I left the emergency department and my role as a consultant, then became a Certified Palliative Care and Hospice Nurse and Death Doula. For the past few years I have worked as a Hospice Nurse, attending to patients and families. This allowed me to gain experience helping patients and families deal with practical planning, addressing the grief of a terminal diagnosis, unveiling significant desires for end-of-life actions, focusing on necessary/crucial/essential care, spiritual needs while being a liaison and mediator with physicians and caregivers. No detail is too small.
Although I have found there are common basic needs (such as addressing pain and anxiety) in a non-medical context, each patient and family is unique. Most of my subjects need a guide and advocate to help navigate this final journey of their lives in a way that fulfills their desires.
My experiences and feedback have been truly encouraging, as evidenced by the testimonials below. I have been told I bring a deep level of compassion and care. These two elements which are the foundation of my practice — to those who seek my services. I look forward to helping as many loved ones as possible, as they face Peaceful Passages to the other side.
CERTIFICATIONS
End of Life Coordinator
Hospice and Palliative Care R.N.
Certified Registered Nurse
Critical Care R.N., BLS, ACLS
TESTIMONIALS
“I cannot thank you enough for your support for our mother, a holocaust survivor. I don’t know how we would have done this without you."
— liz s.
long beach, ca
“My husband, Steve, was sent home on Hospice with stage 4 cancer. I had no idea how much time he had left or how to meet his needs. As it turned out he passed away two weeks later. During those two weeks, Donna would come over daily to see how Steve was doing. Donna showed me how to make sure Steve was comfortable as possible. She educated me how to give him his pain medication and write everything down. She was just as gentle and caring with Steve as I was. I am very grateful to Donna. She was emotional support for me and answered all my questions and concerns. Most of all she taught me the very best way to take care of my Steve in his last days..”
— Aiida S.
downey, ca
“Donna was an amazing hospice nurse for my mother. She replaced another hospice nurse who had less experience and had missed the symptoms my mom was experiencing in order to properly diagnose her. My mom had been sick for quite awhile, and we had been complaining to her nurse, who couldn’t quite figure out what was wrong. One day Donna came to fill-in for the other nurse and immediately diagnosed my mom’s symptoms and situation. She ordered the necessary tests, and within days my mom was receiving the medication she needed. From that day forward, my mom began feeling much better and Donna became my mother’s full-time nurse. Not only does Donna have the experience and expertise to help patients, she has care and genuine love and concern for them as well. She became a friend to my mother as well as her caregiver. My mom trusted Donna. She cared for my mom with a genuine heart, took the time to sit with her and listen to her concerns. Sometimes it just was about family and had nothing to do with her health. I cannot recommend Donna as a nurse/caregiver enough. I don’t think my mother would have lived as long as she did if it weren’t for Donna‘s compassion, genuine concern, and expert care. We appreciate her so much and highly recommend her.
We hope she will join us with our celebration of life with our mother. I cannot thank you enough for all you did to help us bridge this difficult transition with our mother."
— Mary H., aRIZONA
“It is rare today to find people working in the field that they were meant to work in, and that is especially important in healthcare. Donna truly cares about people and wants to help.
In addition to the excellent care she took of our mother, she was also sensitive to the needs of our whole family- from working with us to schedule her visits ahead of time, taking time to personally deliver supplies we needed, and promptly addressing problems with supplies/medicine/equipment deliveries. She even offered to donate her time to come and sit with our mom so we could have a break from caregiving.
We are so grateful for Donna, she is truly a wonderful nurse.”
— Marta l.
“You are such a wonderful amazing person with such a huge heart and I want you to know how much you mean to me and our whole family.”
—Julia s.
long beach, ca
“It has been my personal honor to know Donna for over 14 years, including 11 years in leadership together at Envision Healthcare. Throughout this time, Donna consistently demonstrated professionalism, unwavering integrity, and genuine compassion for others. She earned my full confidence through her thoughtful approach and dedication. Donna’s kindness is evident in her interactions, and her ability to listen with empathy is one of her greatest strengths as an end-of-life coach.
I experienced this firsthand when my own mother passed away after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. During this incredibly difficult time, Donna offered invaluable guidance and support, helping navigate many challenging decisions with remarkable care and sensitivity.
Donna is the ideal advocate and coach for life’s final stages.”
—Douglas COON, MD, FACEP
“Donna provided unsurpassed kindness and attention when we made the difficult decision to place our mom in hospice in May 2023. She was with us every step of the way and explained everything with loving detail and compassion. Donna's hospice experience made all the difference, and her unwavering commitment was deeply appreciated. Furthermore, she was exceptionally patient when it came to navigating our very complicated family dynamics! Donna also communicated with authentic emotion and proactively reached out to me whenever there were any issues that needed to be addressed, and promptly resolved them. Donna was also a shoulder to cry on and was always just a phone call or a text away! After our mom passed in September 2023, Donna continued to reach out to our family and provided bereavement resources, as well as a kind ear. She is passionate about her profession, and performs it with unequalled excellence. Our family will be forever grateful for Donna's services, and it is truly a blessing to know her. I am honored to not only know her as a committed nurse in her profession, but also as a true friend.”
— Lillian B.
lakewood, CA
“Donna has had a lifetime of education, experience, and empathic patient care that translates into a near perfect End-of-Life Coach! I had the honor of directly working with her for over twenty years in Emergency Medicine. She can deliver superb critical care but also has terrific judgment at balancing care needs with quality of life issues…Her Professionalism sets the Benchmark for Compassionate Care. “
— bruce j., md
Donna was my mom‘s hospice nurse in 2023. I found her to be caring, wonderfully supportive, patient, knowledgeable, experienced, helpful, pleasant, friendly and warm. She also loved music, poetry, and travel - things my mom and I also enjoyed and which we could chat about. Donna is the consummate nurse and person to help people with hospice needs at their end-of -life. My mom is still alive and I credit that to people like Donna being in her life,.