Anna Marshall

“…the dying were not passive patients, but the lead actors in their lives’ final, most important drama. Even on their deathbed, even in pain, they had choices and moral agency. Their dying was domestic and communal, as sacred and familiar as baptism or a wedding.”

— Katy Butler, The Art of Dying Well

Background

Caregiving has been a central part of my life from an early age. I was born into a multi-generational home where my mother was the primary caregiver for my grandfather in his final years. In 2006, at the age of 13, I took on my first formal caregiving role, providing companionship to an elderly neighbor with advanced Alzheimer’s. Throughout high school and college, where I studied English, I continued supporting individuals in my community facing advanced age and illness. 

My life changed direction when I left college to care for a friend who was dying. Together, we traveled to her childhood hometown, where I supported her in finding the closure, comfort, and courage needed to face her final days. This journey set me on a new path of supporting individuals who wish to craft more meaningful end-of-life experiences for themselves and their loved ones. 

Qualifications

To equip myself with the technical skills needed to support individuals with their activities of daily living (ADLs), I completed nurse aide training and residency through Tidewater Medical Training in Virginia in 2019. To better support people with the emotional, spiritual, and logistical aspects of advanced illness, death, and grief, I received formal end-of-life doula training and certification through Going With Grace in 2021, where I studied under Alua Arthur.

Experience

I have worked with individuals facing a wide range of conditions, including cancer, heart disease, COPD, kidney disease, dementia, Parkinson’s, and stroke. I have also supported individuals in establishing a practice of advance planning while they’re healthy, so they can live more purposefully and with peace of mind.