Don't Look Away From Dying | Davis Wilkins | TEDxAshland

Dr. Davis Wilkins, the first hospice and palliative care specialist in
Southern Oregon will talk about the new discoveries and ideas that make end-of-life decisions easier. Drawn to the end-of-life care innate focus on what is meaningful in our life, Davis champions writing and storytelling. Her message of make the most of the time you have, it could be shorter than you think, is one that we all need to hear. The first Hospice & Palliative Medicine specialist in Southern Oregon in 2008, Davis Wilkins, M.D. championed & helped launch both palliative care programs at Rogue Valley Regional and Providence Medical Centers. She recently helped open Celia’s House, the first end-of-life-focused residential care facility in the state of Oregon in the old Harry & David estate in Medford.
Drawn to end-of-life care’s innate focus on what is meaningful in
our life stories, Davis champions writing & storytelling as essential and connecting practices. A longtime humanities advocate, she has continued to write and use poetry in her work, and is active with The Hearth, a storytelling project based in Ashland. She is the proud mother of Tate and Luke and is at work on her first book.
Of all the lessons her patients have taught her, this is the most precious: Make the most of the time you have; it could be shorter than you think. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx