Maria Dancing Heart Hoaglund - The Last Adventure of Life

This episode is dedicated to the memory of Rev. Maria Dancing Heart Hoaglund, hospice chaplain and spiritual counselor who authored the books The Last Adventure of Life: Sacred Resources for Living and Dying from a Hospice Counselor and The Most Important Day of Your Life: Are You Ready? Maria died tragically after being struck by a car while walking in a crosswalk. Maria has been a beloved member of the end-of-life community and in this episode Dr. Wyatt shares her personal recollections of Maria, reads excerpts from Maria’s books and plays a clip from Maria’s interview for End-of-Life University in 2013. Whether or not you have met Maria in the past, you will become acquainted with her beautiful soul and enlightened spiritual wisdom through the messages in this episode. Many blessings to all who love Maria and feel the pain of her absence in this physical plane. Maria left a beautiful legacy for each and every one of us that will continue to guide and inspire our work for the future. Maria’s books are available on Amazon: The Last Adventure of Life The Most Important Day of Your Life About End-of-Life University End-of-Life University began in 2013 as a 5-day interview series on topics related to death and dying. It was a phenomenal event that attracted a much larger audience than expected and so EOLU became an ongoing series, with interviews posted online twice each month. With the success of the interview series and the increasing interest in topics related to death and dying, this podcast was started in 2015 in hopes of reaching a broader audience and as a platform for spreading important information about how we look at all aspects of the end of life. About EOLU Founder Dr. Karen Wyatt: Wyatt18smallDr. Karen Wyatt, bestselling author of the books The Tao of Death and 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying, spent most of her 25-year career in medicine caring for patients in challenging settings such as nursing homes, hospices, free clinics and homeless shelters. Her work with patients who were facing the end of life inspired her to write 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying, which describes the spiritual lessons she learned from her hospice patients. Dr. Wyatt also hosts End-of-Life University, an online interview series that features conversations with experts who work in all aspects of end-of-life care. She is widely regarded as a thought-leader in the effort to transform the way we care for our dying in the U.S. In addition, she is valued for her application of spiritual principles to illness and healthcare and teaches that in order to live life fully we must each overcome our fear of death and embrace the difficulties that life brings us. Learn more about her work at www.karenwyattmd.com. Message from Dr. Wyatt: “As a physician I have seen firsthand that our medical system currently fails to provide compassionate, reasonable care at the end-of-life. Doctors are not trained to address death and dying issues and question whether or not it is their “job” to manage the dying of patients when they are also expected to work tirelessly to help “save lives.” Patients are ambivalent about these discussions too and may send mixed messages to their families and care providers because they have never before thought about their own dying process. Consequently, far too much of the healthcare dollar in the U.S. is spent on futile care that does not add to quality of life, but may well prolong suffering.