Who is Lauren?

 

Lauren did not set out to become a leader in MAiD education.

She was a hospital social worker, walking busy corridors and supporting people facing enormous decisions. Her days were filled with discharge planning, family meetings, uncertainty and the constant effort to make complicated systems feel more human.

Then, in 2016, a conversation with a patient changed everything.

It was not dramatic.
It was not political.
It was deeply personal.

In that moment, Lauren understood something that would stay with her:

Medical Assistance in Dying was never only about legislation or eligibility.
It was about love, fear, responsibility, relief, doubt and the quiet tenderness of people trying to do right by one another.

And she saw something else.

Professionals were doing extraordinary work, but many were carrying it alone.

There were protocols for assessment.
Checklists for provision.
Policies for documentation.

But very little guidance for the human weight.

What do you say when a family fractures in front of you?
How do you stay steady when someone asks if they are making the wrong choice?
Where do you put your own grief after you leave the room?

These questions stayed with her.

When Bridge C-14 began, Lauren was part of its growth. What started as offering support grew into facilitating groups, building programs, training volunteers, speaking nationally, and eventually leading the organization for over eight years.

Through thousands of conversations, a pattern emerged.

People needed spaces where the emotional reality of MAiD could be spoken aloud.
And professionals needed education that acknowledged complexity, not just compliance.

Again and again, she heard the same question:

“Why didn’t anyone teach us this before?”

The MAiD Learning Circle was built in response to that question.

It brings together years of hospital practice, national leadership, and community experience into education that prepares people not only for what to do, but how to be.

Because MAiD is relational.
It is ethical.
It is emotional.
It is deeply human.

And those who show up in this work deserve support equal to what they give.

Lauren believes none of us should have to carry this alone.