FREE DOWNLOAD
Your Resiliency Toolkit
Download our free toolkit
I've curated this comprehensive toolkit to help you develop optimism and confidence in your ability to overcome personal challenges. This toolkit has a writing component. The idea is to journal freely, expressively and fluently.
It’s absolutely free, and you can download it by entering your details below.
Hi, I’m Dr. Vanessa Boyce
Death has always been my biggest teacher.
I lost many close family members at a young age and faced financial and emotional instability for a long time.
My first job was at a nursing home and I later went on to become an ER and ICU nurse.
While I was still in nursing school, my aunt developed lung cancer. When I visited her in the hospital a nurse was coaxing her to get up into the chair. She looked at me and asked, “do I really have to do this?”
I began explaining to her the importance of sitting up to prevent pneumonia and blood clots. She shook her head and waved her hand across the room and said, “no, do I have to do this?”
I realized she no longer wanted to continue chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
This was before our small town had hospice services, so her daughter and I managed to get a hospital bed and oxygen. We took her home and cared for her until her death.
My young adult life taught me the importance of mental health and spiritual fulfillment.
When I went to medical school, I was shocked that I received NO formal end-of-life training.
