The story of the terminal illness and death of Kimberly Acquaviva’s wife Kathy is powerful, intense, real… and human. As a hospice social worker and LGBTQ+ community advocate, Kim knows what good end of life care looks like. During their experience with Kathy’s end stage cervical cancer, the women discovered that none of the hospice agencies where they lived had LGBTQ - inclusive non-discrimination statements. Both Kathy and Kim were determined not to settle for anything less than the best care. They made the decision not to use hospice.  

In this interview, Kimberly shares the details of their experience, including their communication style, how they connected with friends and family on social media, and the way they made decisions that affected their 19-year old son. Kimberly and Kathy shaped Kathy’s end of life experience in their own way. Quality of life for them meant autonomy, advocacy, and allowing their journey to create change in the hospice industry. They were teachers for the hospice industry, causing a ripple effect of change that expanded awareness of what inclusive care looks like.

Kimberly chronicled the story of Kathy’s illness and death in her book The Handbook of LGBTQIA-Inclusive Hospice and Palliative Care (October 2023).                                                  You can order your copy here.

Connect with Kimberly Acquaviva at kimberly-acquaviva.com 

Find Kimberly on LinkedIn and X (Twitter).

Order your copies of The Care Plan from Odonata here. It’s available in English and Spanish!

Check out the free video tutorials from Nancy Heyerman and Brenda Kizzire here.  

Register for the Tree of Life Conference from the International Doula Life Movement here. 

Want to know more about doulas, or connect with others who are doing death doula work? Visit internationaldoulalifemovement.com. 

If you’re interested in becoming a certified death doula through IDLM, click here.

Access all the courses that IDLM provides here.

See all the events that IDLM is offering by clicking here.  

Connect with IDLM on social media. Facebook  IG YouTube 

If you have questions about hospice care or need to troubleshoot the care you’re already receiving, book a session with an expert Hospice Navigator at theheartofhospice.com.  

Book podcast host Helen Bauer to speak at your event or conference by sending an email to [email protected].

Find more podcast episodes from The Heart of Hospice at The Heart of Hospice Podcast (theheartofhospice.com) 

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