Bear Witness
Companionship and presence at life's most sacred passage.
A grounded, compassionate presence for individuals and families navigating the end of life — held with reverence, patience, and care.
A story that made this work possible.
Losing my dad at 21 was the single most transforming experience of my life. At the time, I was studying finance, serving as president of a fraternity, aspiring to become a hedge fund manager — everything in my life was about fulfilling my own selfish desires and chasing material things. The experience of losing my dad forced me to look outside of myself and reconcile who I was and what I was living for.
At first, this was a painful time. I became severely depressed and self-isolated. Out of necessity to survive, I carved out quiet moments to process and reflect on what was happening in my life — and little did I know this would become the start of a search for truth about how to live a meaningful life after losing someone I loved.
"It took some twists and turns, but now I'm living a life I never thought I'd be living. How I got here is, in large part, a mystery — but I believe there is a force out there, much greater than myself, that has been guiding me along the way."
I often think of my dad, my best friend. I have a deep admiration for his courage and his willingness to fight for his life, and it brings me to tears thinking about what he and my mom endured together in his final months. Losing my dad has directly made me a kinder, more considerate, more compassionate human being — with a sense of purpose and calling on my life.
My faith is the ground I stand on through this work. I don't bring a specific doctrine into the room with families, but I do bring the conviction that no one should walk through dying — their own or a loved one's — alone. This work is offered to families of any faith background, or none at all.
Meaning-making in the wake of loss.
One of the fruits of coming through the other side of losing my dad is my master's dissertation. I set out to understand how bereaved young adults come to find meaning after loss — what helps them not just cope, but flourish — and what role faith or spirituality plays in that process.
Much of the existing research describes how meaning-making works; very little examines how it actually unfolds for the person living it, and even less exists on bereaved young adults who are doing well. For this study, I interviewed seven participants aged 18–25 who had lost an immediate family member or close friend.
This research directly informs how Bear Witness approaches care — rooted in both lived experience and academic insight.
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Conversations on navigating life's greatest challenges and finding the spiritual threads that weave through our most difficult moments.
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