Facing life after

• By ELLYN COUVILLION
• Advocate News Features staff
• Published: Oct 31, 2009

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The interviewer didn’t bring up religion.

She didn’t ask about the afterlife.

But time and time again, as registered nurse Camille Pavy Claibourne spoke with terminally ill patients for her doctoral research, they talked about faith in God and their hopes for the hereafter.

“Most of them would start, ‘I know I’m dying. I’d like to talk about where I’m going,’” said Claibourne, a native of Lafayette.

Her book, “Dying in God’s Hands,” based on interviews with people in hospice care who agreed to be part of her research, is just out, published by Acadian House Publishing of Lafayette.

Included in the book are stories of the interviews she had with 12 Louisiana residents, all in hospice care, who were trying to prepare themselves to die.

The patients, who have all since died, drew on their faith, wondered about an afterlife and worried about their loved ones who were worrying about them.

They also passed along their hard-earned wisdom to Claibourne.

In many cases, only first names are used in the book.

“Most of the time, when we just sit around and worry, we cause most of our problems. I feel we should just take everything normal, and that means if tomorrow is the time, then tomorrow is the time,” said Alfred, the retired carpenter who was dying of cancer.

“Don’t forget to walk barefoot in the grass,” was a message from another person Claibourne interviewed, Weston, who had loved to dance before he was struck with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also called Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Despite its focus, though, the book isn’t dark.

Claibourne briefly describes the homes where she visits the hospice patients. There’s always a loved one nearby. And the interviewees seem grateful to have a chance to share their thoughts on their dying.