Description

Raina Casey is my final of four "Badass Black Women.” Raina is a true survivor and has a calling to help people at the end of their lives through her witness and presence. You can reach her on Facebook here. This episode discussed the use of cannabis, which is legal in Oregon and some other states.

Raina has an extensive grit story, but we were barely able to scratch the surface because I wanted to learn about her experience as a death doula. These are some of the obstacles she has faced:

• Child of alcoholic whose father passed away from AIDS when she was 11; her mom made the grieving process difficult and strained their relationship
• Worked at Ground Zero site as a member of the U.S. Army Reserve (a mind-searing experience, but still not enough to prepare her for when Katrina hit)
• Washed out of New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina
• Raised a son with autism (who she says is way more dope than she can ever be)
• CNS lymphoma patient, which allows her to connect to her patients on a deeper level
• Survived a stroke, abdominal aneurysm, and brain surgery by the age of 33
• Survived a financially abusive ex
• Still grieving the transition of her father, grandparents, siblings, aunts, and uncles
• Still lives with a seizure disorder and residual damage in her left hand from her stroke

The term “death doula” is relatively new. The first known death doula movement arose in New York in 2000, as a volunteer program that paired so-called "doulas" with terminally ill people. Death doulas assist with the dying process, like a midwife or doula does during the labor and birth process. Their services might include creating death plans; providing spiritual, psychological, and social support before and after death; and assisting with logistical activities such as funerals and memorial services. In Raina’s case, she helps her clients with pain and comfort care using cannabis.

Always fascinated by the concept of death and dying, Raina got into the mortuary business in the U.S. Army. She shares a story on the podcast about her dad taking her to a funeral home and literally introducing Raina to her first dead person at the age of nine. Later on she was working for the medical examiner when she suffered from a devastating stroke and had to have brain surgery. She was using cannabis for medical needs and then started doing more research about the benefits of cannabis. That led her to start fusing cannabis with death and dying and noticing that cannabis can be very beneficial in quality-of-life care.

Raina’s experience with her own medical problems, including a few near-death times, gives her a special insight into what her clients are experiencing. She’s seen amazing relief in her clients when she treats them with cannabis. We talked about the importance for Black people, especially, to have culturally sensitive end-of-life care. 

We also spoke about her amazing son Mason, a track star at the University of Oregon, and his connection to Olympic gold medalist Tommie Smith. Raina also gave huge kudos to the people in her life who have been part of her parenting village.

You can learn more about Raina’s work as a death doula by using the hashtag #DeathDoulaDialog on Facebook. She is working on revamping her death doula business by training doula on cannabis usage to improve the quality of their clients’ lives.

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