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 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.
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Quinn Hunter is a licensed funeral director and the owner of Hunter Funerals. Combining modern sensibilities with the wisdom of our ancestors, Hunter Funerals supports clients in creating meaningful end-of-life experiences that infuse death with the reverence it deserves. With a focus on green burials, home funerals, death-positive education and holistic planning, Quinn brings a fresh perspective to the funeral industry that honours both autonomy and community at the centre of this most important transition.
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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.
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Our History
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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!
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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! |