A woman with a fear of dying has become death doula to help people coming to the end of their life - after losing her mum to a brain tumour.<br /><br />Morgan Everitt, 33, was “frightened of death” growing up and would “think about it all the time”.<br /><br />But she had to face her fear head on when her mum, Paula, 61, was told a rare benign brain tumour – an acoustic neuroma – she first battled when Morgan was little had grown with a "vengeance" when Morgan was 24.<br /><br />Morgan spent the next two years, looking after her mum with her dad, Dan, 67, and sister, Dana, 35, before Paula passed away in 2016 from the tumour.<br /><br />Paula was "completely paralysed by the end" and although Morgan found the process “extremely painful” she said it being by her side “felt like the most meaningful thing to do”.<br /><br />After “learning so much” from the process she started to research more and read books on the subject before taking up a death doula programme at Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, US, in 2019.<br /><br />She spent the next four years studying, also taking up a course with INELDA – the International End of Life Association – as well as a programme with Deathwives.<br /><br />Now living in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, US, with her fiancé, Rob, 35, who works in technology, Morgan launched her death doula business in February 2023.<br /><br />Morgan, who also works as an actor, said: "I was really frightened of death.<br /><br />“I had a huge fear and would think about it all the time.<br /><br />“When my mum became ill it was extremely difficult and painful.<br /><br />“But it felt like the most meaningful thing.<br /><br />“My mum and I were so close – she was my favourite person.<br /><br />“When she passed away in 2016, I felt like I had learnt so much.<br /><br />“I have a different relationship with death now, but the fear will never completely go away.<br /><br />“I hate the idea that the days, weeks or months before dying are full of fear.<br /><br />“I really want to shift the experience to bring a sense of calm and peace.”<br /><br />“I started researching and found there was a programme at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York which is where I was living at the time.”<br /><br />After just under a year of studying the pandemic hit and Morgan continued her learning online through a course with INELDA.<br /><br />She went on to take several other courses with Deadwives – a female founded collective teaching the narrative around death and dying.<br /><br />Morgan said: “They have such a great sense of humour – which is really important.”<br /><br />Morgan has now taken the plunge to become a death doula, alongside her acting career, and launched her website in February 2023.<br /><br />She said: “As a death doula we provide such a wide variety of services which can be tailored to each person.<br /><br />“I can help with paperwork and navigating the medical system.<br /><br />“Emotionally I help people process things and facilitate family conversations as well as talking to the dying person.<br /><br />“I ease fears and focus a lot on the care givers and how I can support them.<br /><br />“But I love life so much that working on this death component feels really peaceful when I’m able to help with it.<br /><br />“It helped my healing process.”
