Anna Marshall

In a society that often reduces death to a medical event, I aim to help people sustain their humanity, community, and autonomy throughout the dying process.

I honor the deeply transformative and clarifying power that comes with death and grief, allowing us to identify and center what matters most to us so we can live authentically.

Background

Caregiving has been a central part of my life from an early age. I was born into a multi-generational home where my mother was the primary caregiver for my grandfather in his final years. In 2006, at the age of 13, I took on my first formal caregiving role, providing companionship to an elderly neighbor with advanced Alzheimer’s. Throughout high school and college, where I studied English, I continued supporting individuals in my community facing advanced age and illness. 

My life changed direction when I left college to care full-time for a friend who was dying. Together, we traveled to her childhood hometown, where I supported her in finding the closure, comfort, and courage needed to face her final days. This journey set me on a new path of supporting individuals who want to craft more meaningful end-of-life experiences for themselves and their loved ones.

Qualifications

To equip myself with the technical skills needed to support individuals with their activities of daily living (ADLs), I completed nurse aide training and residency through Tidewater Medical Training in Virginia in 2019. To better support people with the emotional, spiritual, and logistical aspects of advanced illness, death, and grief, I received formal end-of-life doula training and certification through Going With Grace in 2021, where I studied under Alua Arthur.

Experience

I have worked with individuals facing a wide range of conditions, including cancer, heart disease, COPD, kidney disease, Alzheimer’s and other dementias, Parkinson’s, and stroke. I also support anyone who is ready to establish a practice of advance planning while they’re healthy, so they can live more purposefully and with peace of mind.