{"id":5063749,"date":"2025-01-27T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-27T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/illatinonews.com\/?p=5063749"},"modified":"2025-01-27T08:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-01-27T08:00:00","slug":"chicago-death-doula-provides-at-home-spanish-language-services-to-mexican-american-families","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/2025\/01\/27\/chicago-death-doula-provides-at-home-spanish-language-services-to-mexican-american-families\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicago death doula provides at-home, Spanish language services to Mexican American families"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"an-end-of-life-companion\"><strong>An End-of-Life Companion<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Daughter Rosa Salazar remembers the devotion her parents Beatr\u00edz and Anastacio shared until their last moments together. The couple from Zacatecas, Mexico had been married for 70 years and shared 10 children. Her father took care of her, until he took a serious fall and passed away two days later.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;\u201cAtenderla como si fuera para lo \u00fanico que mi pap\u00e1 exist\u00eda\u201d, Rosa said.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beatr\u00edz stopped speaking when Anastacio died in 2022. But she found a peaceful companion in Sandi Bianchi, who chatted with the widow in Spanish and read books to her aloud. As Beatr\u00edz neared the end of her own life, Bianchi prepared her <em>cafecita <\/em>with breakfast, painted her nails and made her photo albums.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSandi fue una maravilla en la vida de mi mam\u00e1, un apoyo inmenso para nosotros\u201d, Rosa said.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed alignleft is-type-rich is-provider-spotify wp-block-embed-spotify wp-embed-aspect-21-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: Rosa Salazar \" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/episode\/3oiK2MjcctyhGopJhb4k3K?si=EAwvXfeRShCBSRt03MQemQ&#038;utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bianchi is a death doula \u2014 or <em>una gu\u00eda del fin de vida<\/em> \u2013 who supported the Salazar family through the passings of both Beatr\u00edz and Anastacio. Though the couple had dreamed of returning to Mexico to die, their children were here, in Chicago and Lawrence, Kansas. Rosa hired Bianchi to make the end-of-life experience in the U.S. feel less foreign for her parents.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Death doulas provide social, emotional and spiritual care to those nearing death, often in the comfort of their own homes; they are dedicated to ensuring people\u2019s last moments are enveloped in companionship and peace.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the pandemic, national enrollment in death doula organizations and training programs increased significantly. The National End-of-Life Doula Alliance, for example, grew from 200 members in 2019 to 1,650 members in 2023, according to the nonprofit&#8217;s annual reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bianchi\u2019s own Mexican background informs her work with Latinos and other end-of-life patients in Chicago, where she is a member of the Chicago Death Doula Collective. As she bridges people to the other side, Bianchi also acts as a bridge between the traditions she learned as a young girl in Casacuar\u00e1n, Guanajuato and the American death culture she has observed in her adult life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Death Work Rooted in Mexican Tradition<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"721\" src=\"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/IMG_6153.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5063758\" srcset=\"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/01\/IMG_6153.jpeg 720w, https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/01\/IMG_6153-300x300.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/01\/IMG_6153-150x150.jpeg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bianchi\u2019s grandmother (Credit: Sandi Bianchi)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bianchi became acquainted with death during her childhood summers in Casacuar\u00e1n, Mexico. Here, she absorbed the art of preparing home funerals from her grandmother, who was <em>la curandera del pueblo<\/em>, or the village healer.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSi alguien muere en la noche, toda la noche vienen las familias, amistades\u201d, Bianchi explained. \u201cTodos saben lo que se necesita hacer\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Casacuar\u00e1n, everyone had a role in the ceremony, even children. Bianchi would carry the pitcher of holy water for her grandmother. Then, <em>la<\/em> <em>curandera<\/em> would show the family of the dead how to clean the body and change the clothes. After praying all night, the group would carry the casket to the church, and finally to <em>la<\/em> <em>pante\u00f3n<\/em>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bianchi characterized home funerals as communal events: \u201cTodos duelen juntos, todos r\u00eden juntos y todos aprenden en celebrar y no olvidar la persona\u201d.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When she returned to the U.S., Bianchi discovered a different approach to the end of life: \u201cEs bien solitario, especialmente en una ciudad grande como Chicago\u201d, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As an adult, Bianchi countered this solitary cultural experience while volunteering at Swedish Hospital in Chicago. On these floors, she always sought end-of-life patients who were lonely and afraid, even though many spoke no English or Spanish.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNo necesitas el lenguaje para t\u00fa ense\u00f1arle a otra persona que t\u00fa est\u00e1s ah\u00ed, que ellos no est\u00e1n solos\u201d, Bianchi said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She was inspired to pursue individual work with families, starting with Mexicans, and then expanded to serve other Latin Americans. She wanted to provide support rooted in the cultural customs she had observed as a child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYo no soy enfermera, no soy doctora\u201d, Bianchi affirmed. \u201cPero si sus padres no quieren morir en hospital y quieren morir en casa, yo soy mexicana, yo aprend\u00ed, yo mir\u00e9 a mi a mi abuela, yo s\u00e9 las costumbres rituales de c\u00f3mo se hacen en M\u00e9xico, y si quieren, yo les ayudo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bianchi said her mission is a holistic one; sometimes it simply means preparing meals familiar to immigrants and their families.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMirando a muchos inmigrantes que les dan Jello, pudding, sopa que no tiene sabor y no comen\u201d, Bianchi described of the hospital diet. \u201cY los ponen m\u00e1s deprimidos. Eso no es dignidad.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By cooking Mexican food, Bianchi aims to give some of that dignity back to individuals nearing death at home.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bianchi charges families for her service on a sliding scale; anywhere from $25-$40 per hour in one instance.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI ask them what their budget is, and I give them a range, and then we adjust and I always tell them, \u2018this is not set in stone,\u2019&#8221; she said. In the future, she hopes the Chicago Death Doula Collective can raise enough funds to offer free care for families in need.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Raising Death Awareness through Chicago Collective<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Home funerals, like the ones Bianchi experienced in Casacuar\u00e1n, are not common in the United States. However, on November 10, the Chicago Death Doula Collective hosted its first mock home funeral presentation, aiming to build awareness around the practice. Patrice Horton, a mortuary student and board member of the collective, taught 20 community participants at ChiYoga Shack how to wash, shroud and safely preserve a body.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Illinois, home funerals are legal as long as a funeral director is present to file the death certificate and issue a permit for the transportation of the body after the home ceremony. This option is often more affordable and personal, Bianchi said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf people think that they have to have a funeral in a funeral home [in] a traditional way\u2026that&#8217;s all they will do,\u201d Horton said. \u201cBut if they know there&#8217;s other options available, then you&#8217;re giving them the right to make a choice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The collective, a group of nine Chicago-based professionals advocating for more inclusive death care and education, also holds twice monthly Death Caf\u00e9s. These conversations about death, dying and grief are hosted by collective president Alejandro Salinas, a Chicago native and first-generation Mexican American. Salinas is committed to creating a sense of acceptance, rather than resistance, toward death and grieving, and to do so preemptively.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cA lot of it is increasing the general emotional intelligence of a community, of a population,\u201d Salinas said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After the passing of both her parents, Rosa Salazar encouraged all people to reflect on death earlier than they may think necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think it is important for people to really have an idea of what they want and have something prepared ahead of time, because it is very complicated to try to do it once the situation is already there,\u201d she said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>A Death Doula\u2019s Blessing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bianchi had anticipated everything Rosa and her siblings had not prepared for. Bianchi drew up power of attorney forms. She fought for the family\u2019s right to remain with their parents\u2019 bodies, even when the police arrived to collect them.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed alignright is-type-rich is-provider-spotify wp-block-embed-spotify wp-embed-aspect-21-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: Sandi Bianchi\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/episode\/1pVPyHCDPolWWV3WlFk5qN?si=-DmgYth4QU-lbKB_cZSbRQ&#038;utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>La gu\u00eda del fin de vida<\/em> even thought to personalize her blessing, incorporating the family\u2019s love of mariachi as she sat with Anastacio Salazar in his Chicago home and guided him to the end of his life in Spanish.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAh\u00ed est\u00e1n esper\u00e1ndote\u201d, Bianchi soothed. \u201cLos miras. Miras la fiesta que tienen. Escuchas el mariachi, los \u00e1ngeles tocando mariachi\u201d.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In those final moments, Anastacio\u2019s jaw dropped open in a smile and he held Bianchi\u2019s hand tight.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cover Photo: Sandi Bianchi is a local death doula with roots in&nbsp;Casacuar\u00e1n, Mexico. (Credit: Sandi Bianc\u202chi)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Josie Halporn<\/strong> is a fourth-year journalism student at Northwestern University. She is originally<br>from Boston, MA, and also studies psychology and Portuguese.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Zella Milfred<\/strong> is a fourth-year undergraduate student studying journalism and environmental policy at Northwestern University. Previously she has served as an editorial intern at Madison Magazine in Madison, WI.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cNo necesitas el lenguaje para t\u00fa ense\u00f1arle a otra persona que t\u00fa est\u00e1s ah\u00ed, que ellos no est\u00e1n solos\u201d, Bianchi said.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5063757,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","ghostkit_customizer_options":"","ghostkit_custom_css":"","ghostkit_custom_js_head":"","ghostkit_custom_js_foot":"","ghostkit_typography":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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necesitas el lenguaje para t\u00fa ense\u00f1arle a otra persona que t\u00fa est\u00e1s ah\u00ed, que ellos no est\u00e1n solos\u201d, Bianchi said.\u00a0","authors":[{"term_id":368,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"josie-halporn-zella-milfred","display_name":"Josie Halporn, Zella Milfred","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","author_category":"","first_name":"","last_name":"","user_url":"","job_title":"","description":""}],"mfb_rest_fields":["title","uagb_featured_image_src","uagb_author_info","uagb_comment_info","uagb_excerpt","authors"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5063749","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5063749"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5063749\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5063757"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5063749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5063749"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5063749"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=5063749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}