I'm a Serious Illness & End-of-Life Doula Practitioner.

Dear friend,

I came to this work through a long thread of personal and professional commitment to people navigating hard health journeys. Years of health advocacy taught me how difficult it is to be heard inside complex systems. Time in healthcare and hospice showed me the difference a calm, steady presence can make when families are overwhelmed, uncertain, or simply out of time. Caregiving and navigating my own serious diagnoses deepened that commitment, and made the gaps impossible to ignore.

As a doula, I am first of all someone by your side. I listen without judgment, offer comfort and reassurance, make room for the questions that are hard to say aloud, and help you prepare for changes that may feel unfamiliar. I don’t diagnose, prescribe, or replace your medical, legal, or therapeutic team. I help you understand the options they present, honor what matters to you, organize the moving pieces, and communicate with the people around you. That support can begin early in a chronic illness, deepen through serious illness, and continue into end-of-life planning, funeral and celebration-of-life choices, and grief.

One thing I know is that not everyone knows what resources exist for them at certain times and qualifying events. I help connect people with the resources available to them, whether covered by insurance or private pay. Building connections with trusted providers, services, and supports is something I have spent over a decade doing.

Families often receive expert information and still go home unsure how to talk together, divide the work, or understand what comes next. What they need most is time, structure, and steady human attention, not someday, but now, while there is still room to choose well.

I hold a bachelor's degree and completed my doula training through the University of Vermont, along with additional professional trainings. My experience comes from healthcare, hospice, health advocacy, and life as a caregiver and patient.

The first step is simply a conversation: a complimentary 20-minute call, no obligation, no pressure. Just a chance to tell me what’s happening and find out whether I can help.

With steadiness and warmth,

Heather LaCasse

Founder, JourneyWell · Serious Illness, Chronic Illness & End-of-Life Navigation