'Shouldn't be something that's feared': She helps people face the end of life with dignity

'Shouldn't be something that's feared': She helps people face the end of life with dignity 
News Chief, part of the USA TODAY Network, Lakeland, FL; by Thomas R. Oldt; 3/2/25 
Allow me to introduce a perfectly lovely person you may not wish to meet. She’s fostered rescue dogs, advocated for domestic violence victims, volunteered for foreign medical missions and worked emergency rooms throughout Central Florida. She is exceptionally empathetic, intensely focused and candid to a fault. She is also highly conversant in a subject most of us prefer to avoid. For the past seven years, Dr. Danielle Christiano has been staff physician at Good Shepherd Hospice in Auburndale where – in contrast to most other places – death is not a verboten subject. ... [Question:] What do you say or do to alleviate fears that accompany the end of life? [Answer:] It depends on your definition of hope. And it depends on what you want out of this. My general prescription is very different from most doctors because I embrace joy. I want people to seek out the things that bring them joy, ...