Editor:
Thank you for the fine article by Michael Gurney about the Hospice Society’s premiere of Living with Dying. It has indeed been a labour of love and a privilege to have been a part of this production. We are deeply grateful to all the people who shared their intimate reflections on the process of having a life-limiting illness or looking after someone in that situation. It took great courage to have been before the camera in this tender time. Our hands also go up with great respect and appreciation to Monata Bev Dixon whose sharing of her experience and the beliefs of the shíshálh people framed and grounded the film.
A project like this takes teamwork and there are so many people we would like to honour: the professionals who advised us at the start, the Hospice Society staff who supported us and the volunteers who gave their time to make the premiere event a success, our friends Coyote and Christine, Denis, Fran and Monata who blessed our event, the team at the Heritage Playhouse (Billie, Zeta and Michael) who managed all of our tech needs, and, of course, Velcrow Ripper and Nova Ami, the incredible filmmakers who so skillfully and sensitively brought our vision to life. Finally, we extend our heartfelt thanks to the Ananda Fund for providing the grant that made Living with Dying possible.
We are working on getting Living with Dying onto the Hospice Society’s YouTube channel. Until then, the link to the live stream of the premiere event (thank you for that also, Michael Gurney!) is still active on the home page of the Hospice Society where you will also find links to make a donation supporting the work of this wonderful organization.
Donna Shugar, Marlena Blavin, Corinne Thorsell
Education and Outreach Committee,
SC Hospice Society
