Death and dying are universal experiences that every human being will eventually face. While it can be a difficult and uncomfortable topic to discuss, it is important to have conversations about death and dying, both for our own understanding and to support those around us who may be going through these experiences.

Marian Taylor, a nurse whose specialty has allowed her to journey with many patients to their final moments, discusses the importance of having the difficult conversation about death and dying with your loved ones. She proposes that having a death plan is just as important as the birth plan most new parents have in place. This talk will put the difficult topics of death and dying in a new perspective. Marian Taylor, a graduate of University of Texas Houston Health Science Center School of Nursing, began her nursing career over thirteen years ago in the field of pediatric hematology and oncology. She spent ten years caring for children with blood disorders and cancer at Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas. Discovering her passion for end of life care, Marian is currently working as a rural hospice nurse. In addition to her career as a nurse, she is also a mom to two small children, an artist and writer. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.