Show Notes
There is a Crack in Everything, That's how the Light Gets In.
Episode 8 takes us to the coal face of death with palliative care nurse and educator Emily Fyfe and we leave no stone unturned as we examine the actualities of death. We talk about difficult deaths, good deaths, complex deaths and how all this effects the dying person and their families. What things cause the dying the most anxiety? Should children be included or excluded from the dying process? Emily explains medical terms, demystifies the language of death and talks about the drugs used to relieve pain, agitation and anxiety.
But first its the acting CEO of Hospice Waikato Susan Hassall. I was preparing to interview her about an unrelated matter when we started talking about grief. Fortunately I had the presence of mind to turn the recorder on and as Susan spoke about the loss of her husband James, she offered insight, wisdom, perspective and hope.
Hospice Waikato, in association with Free FM, presents The Last Breath – A Podcast About Death And Dying.
More from The Last Breath — A Podcast About Death And Dying
Kevin Toolis - A Handshake for the Dead. For the last episode of the second series of Hospice Waikato’s Last Breath, we are finishing as we began, with a special international guest. In this interview, BAFTA-winning filmmaker and journalist Kevin Toolis reflects on the traditional Irish wake as a living ritual through which communities process grief together.
Linda Thompson found out she had stage 4 cancer in November 2025 and was given six to twelve months to live. Intelligent, vivacious, and filled with curiosity and wonder, Linda decided straight away that she was not going to be a cancer warrior, whatever time she has left, is for living and doing the things she likes best.
In this interview Aroha Croft talks about the experience of losing a parent to suicide.
Gil is a Funeral Director and in this episode she takes us behind the scenes and explains what a Funeral Director does, everything from paperwork through to embalming. But as she explains, above all else, her vocation is about care.
As a society we seldom talk about death but as I have learned, given an opportunity, people have a lot to say on the topic. For Series 2 of The Last Breath, I have asked all sorts of people to share their perspectives on death, dying and grief, assisted dying, faith and the afterlife. In this episode guitarist Gary Verberne, Filmmaker Matt Hicks and retired GP Somas, share their perspectives and experiences.