No one likes to think about dying, so we don’t. We avoid the “elephant in the room” and talk around the topic. But what happens when the idea of death is staring you in the face? Cancer Support Community North Texas (CSCNT) sees this happen all too often. Emotions run high, making the conversations about death daunting and overwhelming.
So what if we don’t avoid that “elephant”? What if we address it head on, maybe even laugh about it? Maybe embrace the fact that we’re all going to die someday? In hopes of making the important conversation about death a little less overwhelming, CSCNT has partnered with The Final Acts Project, a community-based health education initiative that serves as a catalyst to stimulate end-of-life discussions, planning, and legacy-building through comedy and theatrics.
The Final Acts Project is the brainchild of Deborah Kaercher, PhD, an expert in public health and grassroots start-ups, who saw the need to humanize the end-of-life experience. The initiative uses the performing arts and theater to ease the stress and anxiety of planning for our final days. The project uses laugh-out-loud, single-act performances and “Bucket List” parties to encourage us to have the tough conversations we would otherwise avoid.
The Collin County Clubhouse Buck List Party will be Thursday, March 24 6–8 p.m. For more information on The Final Acts Project, visit FinalActsProject.org.
