About Us

The majority of our work as a chapter involves helping people understand patient rights and the legal and practical aspects of their Health Care Directive. We also talk to people about their end of life wishes: the practical, emotional, and social implications of preparing for the last chapter of life.

Meetings for chapter members are about whatever we'd all like to talk about; contact us with your ideas for a get-together.

For those interested in advocacy on issues related to medical assistance in dying, we sometimes participate in letter-writing campaigns to politicians, both local and federal.

Dorothy

Dorothy Stephens is our Advance Care Planning educator. She has a Bachelor's degree in nursing from the University of Manitoba and worked as a Registered Nurse in Winnipeg hospitals for 30 years. She also has experience as a caregiver and health care proxy for several family members, including during end-of-life care.

Pam

Pam Hunter is our Death Matters presenter. For most of her professional life, she was a student services teacher supporting students, teachers and parents. Art therapy was one of her favourite tools for counselling. Pam is currently exploring Manitoba's green burial potential.

Tammy

Tammy Pham is our Patient Rights Presenter, speaking to healthcare institutions about MAID and patient rights at end-of-life. She founded the first and only university campus chapter of DWDC at the University of Ottawa in 2016. .She has a Master's degree in Physician Assistant studies and currently works in Winnipeg​.

Lori

Lori Blande is our workshop & events coordinator. She retired after 30 years in the healthcare field and quality management followed by 10 years as a small business owner. She also has experience as a health care proxy and end-of-life caregiver.

Carolyn

Carolyn Rickey is our finance officer. She is an accomplished, award-winning public relations professional with thirty-eight years of public relations expertise in both the profit and not-for-profit fields in Manitoba. 

Sherry Lyn

Sherry Lyn Marginet has always been interested in matters to do with end of life issues. She once worked in the funeral industry and now assists with the running of the chapter. ​

Cheri

Cheri Frazer is the chapter head and works with head office in Toronto to coordinate advocacy campaigns. Before the MAiD laws changed in 2021, she coordinated 70 volunteers across the province who served as legal witnesses to requests for medically assisted deaths.

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Our History

The Winnipeg chapter started just a few months after a local woman named Susan Griffiths went public with her story about needing to go to Switzerland to die because Canadian law had not yet changed to allow her to die with assistance at home. Susan had to die as much as a year or two before it would've been truly necessary, because she would've required help after a certain point, and help was illegal. A few of us got angry enough about the need to change the laws that we agreed to start a chapter.

Now that Canadian law has changed to allow for medical assistance in dying, we have shifted our focus to mainly public education and support.

Join Us!

If you wish to contribute financially to the cause, you can become a Defender of Dignity via the main DWD site.
To join our chapter, fill out your name and contact information on the Join a Chapter page of the main site. Or just let us know you'd like to be informed of upcoming events and we'll add you to our notifications list. Hope to see you soon!