Though Marty has been working as a hospice social worker for about 17 years, she received her Masters of Social Work degree from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill in 1975 and has a wealth of experience working in a variety of medical and mental health settings. Marty knew she had found the right fit when she went to work for hospice; you see, she has also been a caregiver for her parents and two brothers. She shares, "I've been on both sides of this fence and I know how demanding, lonely and stressful it can be to care for a dying loved one. When I was a caregiver, I missed so many opportunties to say and do things that could have given my loved ones a deeper sense of peace and have made them more emotionally, physically and spiritually comfortable. I just didn't know! I wish someone would have handed me a booklet, like the ones I've written, when I was caring for my family members. It could have made a big difference for them and for me! I have taken everything I wish I had known when my loved ones were dying and put it in my booklets." Marty is truely a wounded healer, who has turned her passion for quality end of life care into a series of compassionate and informative booklets to support and comfort the hospice patient and their caregiver. Marty now lives in Ashland, Oregon where she works for a local hospice team as a clinical social worker. She has established and facilitated numerous support groups for bereaved persons, including a group for young widows. Her professional credentials include membership in the Academy of Certified Social Workers, the National Association of Social Workers and certification as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.

About the booklets

Marty recognized a need for educational materials in the form of short, concise booklets, which she could hand to a family caregiver and say, "Read this. It will help guide you through." She began writing booklets for her hospice families in 2006 because she was not able to find booklets that thoroughly addressed the needs and concerns of her hospice caregivers and patients. Marty also printed the booklets herself and gave most of them away. The word spread quickly that a valuable, new educational resource was available. As demand for her booklets increased, Marty founded Sacred Vigil Press to make her series of booklets available to anyone who is caring for a dying loved one and who needs practical, compassionate information about all aspects of the dying process.

"Reading Marty's booklets is like being wrapped in a warm blanket!"