Let's Talk Death! ... a HealGrief® program

In this episode, Akanksha shares how a patient under her care became the inspiration for her work in palliative medicine. She shares her perspective on the need for doctors to have "the conversation" with patients facing a terminal illness and their families.

Akanksha Sharma, MD, is board-certified in neurology, neuro-oncology, and palliative medicine. She is experienced in treating primary/metastatic brain tumors, neurological complications of cancer, and disease-related burden and symptoms.

Her clinical and research interests lie in helping patients maximize their time and quality of life. She aims to align treatment with patient goals and provide holistic care that includes careful symptom assessment and management and support for the patient's loved ones. 

Dr. Sharma brings a unique perspective to neuro-oncology care in this area with her clinical experience combining neuro-oncology and palliative care. Her research focuses on understanding and improving quality of life, how we best manage symptoms, the importance of prognostication, and caregiver support. She partners with her patients and their families to develop holistic care plans that consider both mind and body health and the patient's loved ones.

Dr. Sharma completed Neurology training at the University of Washington.

She then completed a two-year research/clinical Neuro-oncology fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona, followed by a Hospice and Palliative Medicine fellowship at the University of Washington.

She is an active member of the Society for Neuro-oncology (SNO) (for whom she serves on the Women & Diversity Committee), the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), and the American Association of Hospice & Palliative Medicine (AAHPM).

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In this episode, Tara explains, as she got older, she wishes she had more memories and connections to her grandmother, who died when she was nine. She shares how her children's book became that tool to create them during her mother's end-of-life.

Tara Ferriola is a licensed clinical psychologist who provides compassionate therapy to children, adolescents, adults, and families. Dr. Ferriola incorporates grief concepts into her work with clients as they experience loss, transitions, and death. She has over 15 years of experience clinically and through volunteer work with Camp Erin.

Dr. Ferriola is also an author. She dedicated her dissertation work to creating the Love Legacy guidebook. Based on research, the book helps families through a parent's illness and death by providing interactive activities to maintain connections, continue the parent's memories after death, and ease the transitions. Activities include gathering the parent's biography, writing memories with the parent, collecting pictures and important objects, the parent writing letters, and identifying how to celebrate holidays and other important days, amongst other things. This book aims to promote healthy grieving before a parent dies.

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In this episode, Dr. Kesari talks about his 20 years of working with patients suffering a deadly disease. He speaks about how his patients and their families are like his own and how his connection to them gave him a deep understanding of living and dying.

Dr. Santosh Kesari is a board-certified neurologist and neuro-oncologist and is currently Chair and Professor, Department of Translational Neurosciences and Neurotherapeutics, Saint John’s Cancer Institute.

He is also Director of Neuro-oncology at Pacific Neuroscience Institute, Providence Saint John’s Health Center and Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center Torrance and leads the Pacific Neuroscience Research Center at Pacific Neuroscience Institute.

Dr. Kesari is ranked among the top 1% of neuro-oncologists and neurologists in the nation, according to Castle Connolly Medical Ltd and an internationally recognized scientist and clinician.
 
He is a winner of an Innovation Award by the San Diego Business Journal. He is on the advisory board of American Brain Tumor Association, San Diego Brain Tumor Foundation, Chris Elliott Fund, Nicolas Conor Institute, Voices Against Brain Cancer, and Philippine Brain Tumor Alliance. He has been the author of over 250 scientific publications, reviews, or books.
 
He is the inventor on several patents and patent applications, and founder and advisor to many cancer and neurosciences focused biotech startups. In addition, he is a member of the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute.

Dr. Kesari has had a long-standing interest in cancer stem cells and studies their role in the formation of brain tumors and resistance to treatment. He believes that in order to cure patients with brain tumors we first need to gain a better molecular and biological understanding of the disease.
 
A physician/scientist, Kesari harnesses his experience in surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation therapy and novel devices to help develop Precision Therapeutic Strategies that will advance medicine to a new stage in the battle against brain tumors and eradicate the disease.

Highlights

Dr. Kesari graduated from University of Pennsylvania, School of Arts and Sciences in 1992 and earned a PhD degree in molecular biology and a MD from the University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine.

He completed his residency in neurology at the Massachusetts General Hospital/Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School and his neuro-oncology fellowship at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.
 
He was previously assistant professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Brigham and Women’s Hospital and then professor of neurosciences at UC San Diego.
 
He is a member of the Society of Neuro-Oncology, American Society of Clinical Oncology, Indian Society of Neuro-Oncology, American Neurological Association, and American Academy of Neurology.

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In this episode, Carol shares an experience of grief. She was in her early 20's when a friend jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge. It was the first suicide or death she had experienced of a close friend. She remembers how nobody talked about it; no one talked about anything.

Originally from San Francisco, Carol Schoneberg has been a hospice educator and grief counselor in Maine since 1992. She has served as an End-of-Life Educator, Bereavement Services Manager, and grief counselor at Hospice of Southern Maine—Maine's only free-standing not-for-profit hospice—since its inception in 2004. Carol provides end-of-life education to staff, volunteers, healthcare providers, universities, and the community.

In 2001 Carol participated in the Respecting Choices program at Gundersen-Lutheran Hospital in La Crosse, Wisconsin, where she became certified as an Advance Care Planning Facilitator Trainer. She strongly believes how helping people talk about their choices for end-of-life care can make a huge difference in the way families experience the dying process.

Working with the dying and the bereaved has inspired and taught her much about the human spirit's resiliency.

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In this episode, Ronnie shares about the suicide of her 21 year old step-son. She says, "when he ended his life, it was like a grenade that exploded in our household." Although she was a counselor at the time, she said nothing had prepared her.

Ronnie Walker MS, LCPC is a seasoned mental health professional who lived through devastating grief after losing her stepson to suicide in 1995. In 2008, she founded the Alliance of Hope as a labor of love. It has become a leading online support source for people who have lost loved ones to suicide and the professionals who want to help them.

During her grief journey, Ronnie recognized there was a void in support for people bereaved by suicide. She understood firsthand what researchers have validated in recent years: the traumatic, complicated grief experienced by suicide loss survivors puts them at higher risk. They are more likely to leave their job, drop out of school, and attempt suicide than the general public. Losing a loved one to suicide brings high-functioning people to their knees.

Ronnie recognized that many loss survivors lacked access to trained counselors and support groups. So, she sat down at her kitchen island and created a website and community forum where people could access information about suicide loss, share their stories, and connect with others who understood. Her goal was to ensure that no suicide loss survivor goes without support. At the time, she did not know that approximately 45 million people have been greatly distressed by suicide in the U.S. alone.

Much like the movie "A Field of Dreams," bereaved souls from across the globe made their way to this online healing space, seeking support in the complex emotional aftermath of suicide. Since 2008, the Alliance of Hope has hosted more than 10 million visits to its website. The organization's heartbeat, its community forum, transcends time and distance, operating like a 24/7 support group for more than 19,500 people, with ten new survivors joining and 500 logging on for support every day. Many have called it their "lifeline." 

Ronnie holds a master's degree in counseling and post-graduate certifications from the National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children and the American Academy of Bereavement. She has received several awards for her pioneering online work and ongoing tireless efforts to help suicide loss survivors. In 2020, she was named "Loss Survivor of the Year" by the American Association of Suicidology, and in 2019 she received the "Father Charles T. Ruby Award" from Catholic Charities, Chicago, for her contributions to loss survivors. 

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In this episode, Lynne shares her grief experience after her mother unexpectedly died when she was nine years old. Three years later, the day before junior high started, her father died, leaving her an orphan. Not wanting to be known as the girl with the dead parents, she showed up that first day of school.

Lynne Hughes is a nationally recognized grief expert and has worked with adults, children and teens coping with loss and life transitions.  Lynne is the founder and CEO of Comfort Zone Camp, a national non-profit organization based in Richmond, Virginia that offers free weekend bereavement camps for children who have experienced the death of a parent, sibling or primary caregiver. She also created Camp Unplugged to help kids navigate social media, self-esteem and online safety.

Hughes has been profiled in numerous media outlets, to include Wall Street Journal, Parade, People and Parents magazine, and has appeared on NBC’s The Today Show, and CBS news.  Lynne was a 2019 honoree of the Richmond Times Dispatch Person of Year, was a 2019 Hometown Hero for Allen & Allen and YWCA Outstanding Woman of the Year in April 2006.  Hughes was also honored as one of Redbook’s Mothers and Shakers 2002, awarded to 12 women (including Laura Bush) who have helped to improve the quality of life in the United States.  Her book  You Are Not Alone: Teens Talk about Life after the Loss of a Loved One, was published in 1995 by Scholastic Press. 

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In this episode, Barbara shares an experience from when she was a 16-year-old nurse's aide asked to sit with someone dying. Terrified to do so, she was told to let them know, meaning the nurse's station, when they died.

Barbara Karnes, RN, is an internationally recognized author, speaker, thought leader, and expert on end-of-life care and dying dynamics. Barbara was recognized in 2018 as a Hospice Innovator by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and was named the 2015 International Humanitarian Woman of the Year by the World Humanitarian Awards.

Barbara’s experience as a hospice care provider at the bedside of hundreds of people and as an administrator overseeing the care of thousands led to the 1985 publication of Gone from My Sight: The Dying Experience. Affectionately referred to in the industry as the “little blue hospice book,” Gone from My Sight has sold over 30 million copies worldwide, is published in 12 languages, and remains the leading resource on the market today, educating families on the signs of approaching death.

In 2015, Barbara’s film New Rules for End-of-Life Care was featured in film festivals worldwide and was the recipient of 10 prestigious film awards.

Barbara’s other award-winning publications and films include:

The Eleventh Hour: A Caring Guideline to the Hours to Minutes Before Death

A Time to Live: Living with a Life-Threatening Illness

My Friend, I Care: The Grief Experience

You Need Care Too: Self Care for the Professional Caregiver

How Do I Know You? Dementia at End of Life

A Place in My Heart: When Our Pets Die

Pain at End of Life: What You Need to Know About End-of-Life Pain and Comfort Management

The Final Act of Living: Reflections of a Long-Time Hospice Nurse

Care for the Caregiver, DVD

This is How People Die, DVD

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In this episode, Clarissa goes back in time and shares her experience after her father died from cirrhosis of the liver and kidney failure when she was 11 years old and became an orphan at age 12 when her mother lost her two-year battle to cancer.

Clarissa Thibeaux had dreams of becoming an entertainer from a young age. She studied Theatre Arts with an emphasis in Performance at San Diego State University. Upon obtaining her degree, she had a slew of short films and regional commercials already under her belt.

Now living in Los Angeles, Clarissa is fulfilling her dream as a successful actor. When she isn’t on set, she enjoys spending time with her dog Elphia, watching movies, hiking, and learning to knit. Clarissa also finds time to help others. With a fellow orphaned friend, she started a podcast called’ Abandonment Issues,” where she has found so much healing and growth while talking with her guests. She also finds time to be involved in the Cancer Support Community LA and Pablove, to name a few.

You can find Clarissa on Instagram @Clarissa, and Twitter @ClarissaT

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In this episode, Jillian shares how as a teenager, after her mother died, she maintained A's in school, kept good friends, and never got into trouble. So everyone thought she was okay and a "good griever."

Jillian Blueford is a Clinical Assistant Professor for the school counseling program at the University of Denver and a Licensed Professional Counselor Candidate in Colorado. She has a history of leadership in grief outreach programming for K-12 youth.

Over the years, Jillian has provided grief counseling to individuals of all backgrounds in various settings, including schools, outpatient facilities, and private practice. Further, Jillian is a grief and loss scholar, who has conducted research and scholarship via her dissertation, peer-reviewed publications, webinars, a podcast feature, and several regional, national, and international presentations. 

Jillian’s current focus is enhancing counseling training and preparation in grief counseling. She is a member of several associations within the counseling and thanatology professions.

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In this episode, Vivian shares about her grief experienced when her mother died as a ten-year-old, and then her primary care-giver, her grandmother, died as a young adult attending college. She shares how she sought support and others who would understand, but there weren't any.

Vivian Nunez is a Portland-based writer, public speaker, and content creator. She is the founder of Too Damn Young, an online community and resource site for grieving young adults.

Vivian writes and creates content that reminds her community that going through hard things, that navigating your mental health or your grief, doesn't disqualify you from having a happy life. Vivian has spoken at the United Nations and has been featured by Instagram, and on platforms like Forbes, Mic, and Well+Good. Vivian also hosts a podcast, What Happened After?.

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