Maïa Mercure

My Journey into End-of-Life Care

Having lost my father in a sudden way at the age of 6, death and grief had almost always been a part of my life. Later in life, I lost by beloved grandmother in a much more gradual and gentle way, which helped me see death in a totally different light. I was able to be with her in her final moments and realized how beautiful and sacred it felt to be so close to "the gate" with her. She was living in a nursing home and we received a call that she had stopped eating and was likely nearing the end of her life. I took the day off work and got ready to go to the nursing home to be with her. When I got there, I said a few words to her but for the most part, just sat by her bedside reminiscing about moments we had shared throughout her life. As a child, my grandmother was one of the few people that made me feel safe and loved and I wanted to make sure that she felt that way as she was leaving this earth. I sat with her for several hours, mostly in silence because she was non-verbal by that point. My brother that lived out of town called to say his goodbyes and I held up the phone to her ear so she could hear his words. After sitting with her for a few hours, I felt like our time together was complete so I gave her a final kiss and tucked a plush dog toy under her arm so that she has something soft to hold onto. A few minutes later, my uncle arrived to say his goodbyes, and that is when she took her final breath.

A few months after my grandmother passed, I went to see a medium and connected with my grandmother's spirit. She confirmed that my presence at her bedside made her feel "bathed in love" as she was crossing over. From that moment, I realized that everyone deserves to feel bathed in love as they are transitioning out of this realm. That is when I started pursuing Reiki training, so that I could help ease others' journey from one realm to the next. From there, I started volunteering at my local hospice organization and taking doula training, and that is how Between Realms was born.

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