I Have Spent My Life Listening to the Dying. They taught me how to live.
I’m Christa MacDonald. A hospice nurse, a mother, and a witness to love at its most honest moments. My life’s work is not about death—it’s about what remains when everything else falls away.
Who is Christa?
A Life Devoted to Love at the End of Life
For more than twenty years, people have trusted me with their final moments. I have sat at bedsides where words run out, where fear and grace coexist, and where love speaks louder than anything else.
I did not set out to become an expert in grief. Grief found me.
Through thousands of quiet conversations with the dying—and through my own losses—I learned something the world rarely teaches us: love does not end when life does.
This knowledge shapes everything I do.
8 Lessons the Dying Taught Me
8 Lessons the Dying Taught Me was not written from theory. It was written from the bedside.
After more than two decades as a hospice nurse, Christa MacDonald began to notice something extraordinary. In their final days, people spoke with striking clarity about what truly mattered and what they wished they had done differently.
Through eight profound lessons, this book shares the wisdom of the dying on love, forgiveness, presence, regret, and connection. It is a compassionate guide for anyone who has experienced loss, is caring for someone they love, or simply wants to live more fully while there is still time.
At its heart, this book carries one essential truth: grief doesn’t mean letting go—it means finding new ways to stay connected. This is not a book about death. It is a book about what endures.
A Global Lifeline for the Grieving
After the death of her stepfather, Christa experienced a moment of divine inspiration that would change the course of her life—and the lives of countless others.
GLADD (Grieving Loss After Death and Dying) was born from that calling. Today, it is recognized as the world’s first international online bereavement program, offering guidance, connection, and hope to grieving individuals across the globe.
More than a resource, GLADD is a movement—reminding people that grief does not mean the absence of love, but the continuation of it.
Speaking on Grief, Healing, and the Power of Love
Christa travels internationally, sharing hospice wisdom with audiences ranging from healthcare professionals and caregivers to faith communities, corporations, and those navigating personal loss.
Her talks are known for being honest, compassionate, and deeply transformative—blending real stories from the bedside with practical tools for healing and connection.
- Grief and bereavement
- End-of-life wisdom
- Compassionate caregiving
- Love beyond loss
- Meaning, forgiveness, and healing
