Find uplifting stories about heroes, innovations, and solutions
2563 results for "death doula"
A growing movement of death doulas is transforming how people experience their final days, offering compassionate support that goes beyond medical care. These trained guides help families navigate one of life's most challenging transitions with dignity and peace.
After losing her mother in 2024, Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman is training to become a death doula to help others through end-of-life care. Her personal grief inspired her to fill a gap she witnessed firsthand.
A policy expert who lost her infant daughter is changing how America handles grief at work and beyond. Her organization fights for better bereavement policies and teaches us what grieving people really need to hear.
Specially trained doulas who've overcome addiction themselves are helping pregnant women through recovery, building trust where medical systems often fail. States like Utah and Colorado now cover this life-changing support through Medicaid.
Over 23,000 "Death Cafes" in 97 countries are helping people break the silence around mortality with tea, cake, and honest conversation. These informal gatherings are transforming how communities approach end-of-life discussions and helping families find peace.
The hottest place in North America is exploding with color as Death Valley experiences its most vibrant wildflower bloom in ten years. Perfect weather conditions have turned the usually barren landscape into a stunning carpet of desert gold, lupine, and paintbrush.
Across Southeast Asia, countries are taking meaningful steps to reduce and eliminate capital punishment. From Vietnam removing eight offenses from death penalty eligibility to Malaysia forming a working group to study total abolition, the region is slowly embracing reform.
Myanmar's new president has ordered all death sentences converted to life imprisonment, affecting over 130 prisoners condemned since 2021. The blanket commutation comes as part of a new year amnesty that will also release over 4,300 prisoners.
Osun State in Nigeria just released over $440,000 to families of civil servants who died while working for the government. Since 2023, the state has paid nearly $2 million in total death benefits, keeping its promise to care for workers and their loved ones.
California's Death Valley is carpeted in golden and violet wildflowers for the first time in a decade. The stunning superbloom transforms one of Earth's harshest deserts into a sea of color through late March.
%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Ftf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffiler_public%2F32%2Fcd%2F32cdad8f-4f75-4591-9841-69bc6d8893eb%2Fgettyimages-513921738.jpg)
One of Earth's driest places is preparing to burst into a carpet of wildflowers in a rare natural phenomenon. Death Valley National Park officials say conditions look promising for a superbloom that could paint the desert in brilliant colors.
Two major health organizations are investing in African healthcare systems to stop the preventable deaths of 178,000 mothers and nearly one million newborns each year. The Beginnings Fund and Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation are focusing on trained midwives and low-cost medical equipment to save lives.
India's highest court has directed top medical experts to examine whether brain death tests can be made more reliable and safer for patients. The move comes after a doctor raised concerns that current methods may be putting critically ill patients at risk.
German ultrarunner Arda Saatçi just finished an incredible 375-mile run from Death Valley to Santa Monica, pushing through extreme heat and hallucinations. Despite medical setbacks, he made it to the Pacific Ocean after five grueling days on the road.
Tanzania slashed child deaths by more than a third and maternal deaths by 80% in just six years, earning its president a global award. The East African nation built over 530 delivery centers and dramatically increased health funding to save thousands of lives.
Deaths from drugs, alcohol, and suicide fell dramatically across America in 2024, with overdose deaths plummeting by 26%. Better access to health services and early intervention programs are saving thousands of lives.
Rwanda has nearly eliminated tuberculosis deaths, dropping from 77 deaths per 100,000 people in 2000 to just 3.4 today. The breakthrough came from community health workers, free treatment, and AI-powered screening.
A new initiative in Nigeria is saving mothers' lives by tracking deaths that happen outside hospitals. The program reveals why women are dying and helps health workers respond faster.
Clean air laws have saved tens of thousands of American lives, with cardiovascular deaths from fine particulate pollution falling nearly 45% since 2001. Scientists now know exactly which pollutants are deadliest and where to target next.
A hospital in Gbarnga, Liberia, has dramatically reduced maternal deaths by improving access to medications and modern equipment. The turnaround came after introducing a drug fund that keeps essential medicines stocked for pregnant mothers.
Showing 20 of 2563