A former inmate finds meaning through his work as a death doula

Transcript

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SACHA PFEIFFER, HOST:

Time now for StoryCorps. During a stint in prison, Michael Rogers thought his life was over. But once he got out, he found meaning again through his work as a death doula. Michael sat down with his stepson to talk about his work offering emotional and spiritual support for those nearing the end of their lives.

MICHAEL ROGERS: I think that most people spend their lives avoiding the fact that death is inevitable. But for me, when forced to contemplate, well, what actually happens, I found that if you have an idea of the kind of person you want to be perceived as when you die, it gives you an idea of what you're supposed to be doing right now. The birds seem like they cheep a little bit louder, you know, and the sky looks bluer. And I became a doula because I think that if I could point at the end of life, what we want that to be about, then that should dictate what we want the middle stages and the beginning stages to be about.

You know, I was born in '51. We were very, very poor. You know, you get rebellious. And you see that dope-dealing man over there, well, he got the shiny car and he got everything he ever dreamed of wanting. So you figure out ways of surviving, and then getting myself in trouble. And I did it to the point where, when they finally caught me, 15 years in a prison cell. I didn't miss the five, six, seven cars, couldn't drive but one at a time. And you realize that the true coin in life, the caring about people and knowing that people care about you, and the sharing, that's what's important.

I'd like for my life to be about earning the death that I'd be proud of. And when the final accounting is done for my life, as it's going to be done for your life, well, if you can find pride in what you've done and what you've overcome, then that's what it's really all about.

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PFEIFFER: That was Michael Rogers in Brooklyn, N.Y., for StoryCorps. Michael is now being treated for Stage 4 lung cancer. As he nears the end of his life, he's working with his own death doula. This conversation is archived with the Library of Congress.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.