'How losing my dad as a teenager led me to a career as a death doula'

I let myself into the house and make my way to the bedroom, where he is lying on the bed. After a lifetime of independence, this man doesn’t want strangers coming into his home to nurse him through the final stages of his cancer. I touch his shoulder and he opens his eyes, a little smile flickering across his face.

He says to me, “I’m dying.”

I reply, “Yes, you are.”