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Death appears in whispers and shadows throughout our lives, yet we rarely make space to truly understand it. In this enlightening conversation, Robyn O'Connell speaks with her nephew Luke O'Connell about his transformative journey as a hospice volunteer in Busselton, Western Australia.

Luke's path into end-of-life care began with personal experiences that subtly guided him toward this sacred space, what started as curiosity evolved into a calling that has fundamentally changed his outlook on life.

Through Luke's thoughtful reflections, we discover hospice care extends far beyond our common perception as simply "the place people go to die." We learn about the comprehensive training volunteers receive, the variety of reasons patients enter hospice care, and the remarkable ways this work ripples through every aspect of a volunteer's life.

Perhaps most striking are the universal lessons Luke has gleaned about what truly matters. "What I don't hear is anybody saying 'geez, I wish I worked harder and I wish I made more money and I wish I bought that extra jet ski,'" he observes about those nearing life's end. Instead, connections, relationships, and time spent with loved ones emerge as the real treasures we collect through our journey.

Whether you're curious about hospice care, contemplating volunteering, or simply seeking perspective on what matters most in life, Luke's insights offer a gentle invitation to approach death not with fear but with openness and compassion. As he says, "Death strips away social barriers - you get to see people as they really are, and it's beautiful."

Ready to explore your own relationship with mortality? Listen now and discover how embracing end-of-life conversations might just teach you how to live more fully.

Contact Luke:

Busselton Hospice Care Inc: https://busseltonhospicecareinc.org.au/

Have questions about death, dying or the funeral industry? Email ask@ladyofdeath.com.au to have them answered in a future episode.