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Death Doulas Used to Be Rare. The COVID-19 Pandemic Changed That
TIME MAGAZINE
Feb. 28/March 7, 2022 Issue
Michelle Thornhill, Death Doula Since 2010.
To free up family members to focus solely on their dying loved one, death doulas can help make funeral arrangements and handle other logistics.
When Technology Meets Its Limits: Integrating Medical Aid in Dying With Withdrawal of a Left Ventricular Assist Device
I’m honored to have served as the end-of-life doula on this remarkable interdisciplinary case featured in the Cureus Journal of Medical Science. This publication explores the thoughtful coordination of Medical Aid in Dying with the withdrawal of a left ventricular assist device (LVAD), helping a patient achieve his deeply held wish to die peacefully at home.
This work highlights what is possible when compassionate care, ethical decision-making, and collaborative teamwork come together to honor patient autonomy at the end of life. Grateful to every member of the care team who helped make this patient’s wishes a reality.
Get to Know Me
Hi, I'm Michelle Thornhill
I am a sought-after speaker, Grief Support Specialist and End-of-Life Doula providing service excellence for well over 20 years!
HUFFPOST
I am honored to have been quoted in the HuffPost article Hospice Workers Share The Foods That Bring Patients Comfort Till The End. This piece explores the deep connection between food, memory, and comfort at the end of life—a subject close to my heart as an end-of-life doula, hospice volunteer and grief specialist.
I’m grateful for the opportunity to share my insights alongside other compassionate professionals. Thank you to HuffPost for shedding light on this meaningful topic and amplifying the voices of those who companion the dying.
Please take a moment to read the article and reflect on the ways we can honor life through small, meaningful acts of care.
Historic Eden Cemetery entrusted with “The Black Philadelphians"
Historic Eden Cemetery is affectionately known as a cemetery of cemeteries, or a collection cemetery. -this is because some of the first interments were actually reinterments from closed cemeteries and burial grounds. With over 90,000 persons entrusted to our care, it is the final resting place of many distinguished residents. William Still, Father of the Underground Railroad and countless other notables are laid to rest there. Today, it is the oldest continuously operating African American cemetery in the North. Historic Eden Cemetery takes great pride in being entrusted with the care of “The Black Philadelphians” from the Morton Cranial Collection. We are committed to caring for them meticulously and ensuring their ongoing reverence throughout the entirety of Eden’s history. Read full article here.
About the Founder and CEO
My Approach
Time does not heal wounds; actions do. I firmly believe that individuals can reach a level of satisfaction when given specific tools to maneuver their way through three transitions; moving beyond the pain that comes with grief and loss, living their best life, and planning for the inevitable.
Michelle Wilder-Thornhill
Michelle W. Thornhill is an end-of-life doula, Advanced Certified Grief Recovery Specialist, Certified Trauma Healing Facilitator, educator, cultural historian, speaker, and consultant whose work spans end-of-life care, grief and bereavement, remembrance, cultural narrative, and legacy. Drawing on decades of experience and leadership ac
Michelle W. Thornhill is an end-of-life doula, Advanced Certified Grief Recovery Specialist, Certified Trauma Healing Facilitator, educator, cultural historian, speaker, and consultant whose work spans end-of-life care, grief and bereavement, remembrance, cultural narrative, and legacy. Drawing on decades of experience and leadership across deathcare, end-of-life support, and grief and bereavement, Michelle brings an interdisciplinary perspective to supporting individuals, families, organizations, and communities through life’s most significant transitions.
As Founder and CEO of Legacy & Hope, LLC, Michelle draws on 30 years of experience in deathcare and a professional background spanning grief support, end-of-life care, education, and community-based care. Her work includes individual and family support, organizational consulting, retreats, workshops, support groups, and community education. She is trained to support adults, teens, and children and has experience with Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) in New Jersey, Voluntary Stopping Eating and Drinking (VSED), pet loss, and helping adults support children through grief and loss.
Michelle is an instructor in the University of Vermont End-of-Life Doula and Grief & Bereavement Professional Certificate Programs and a University of Vermont Prelock Award for Excellence in Online Teaching nominee. She serves as Vice President of the National End-of-Life Doula Alliance (NEDA), where she has served on the Board of Directors since 2020, and as a Board Member of New Jersey Death with Dignity, supporting education and awareness surrounding end-of-life choice and medical aid in dying.
Her leadership commitments reflect her dedication to history, cultural preservation, and community well-being through service on the Board of Directors of Historic Eden Cemetery, supporting ethical remembrance and community-based ancestral preservation, and advisory roles with Girls Leading Africa and Greater Hope Medical Center. She is also a collaborator with the University of Alabama’s Embodiment, Communication, and Health Living Justice Project.
A graduate of Eastern University, Michelle is the author of The Founders of Freedom’s City: 30 of Philadelphia’s Pioneering African Americans (October 2026) and a contributing author to Living Toward Justice: A Time Capsule (New Village Press, 2025). Her work and voice have been featured in TIME, CNN, HuffPost, the Associated Press, AARP, the Journal of Linguistic Anthropology, the Cureus Journal of Medical Science, WHYY PBS/NPR, The Philadelphia Tribune, and The Philadelphia Inquirer.
At the heart of Michelle’s work is the belief that life is filled with transitions, and it is an honor to companion people through them. Through Legacy & Hope, she brings together decades of practice, education, and leadership to help people approach grief, loss, dying, remembrance, and legacy with greater understanding, preparation, connection, and hope.
Get Help for Yourself or Someone You Care About
Get Help for Yourself or Someone You Care About
Please contact Legacy & Hope directly for more information. We look forward to answering your questions. Schedule your 30 minute complimentary consultation to see if this service would be a good fit for you or your loved one.