When my friend Jane was nearing the end of her journey with a terminal illness, I wanted some way to hold on to more of her memories and history, more of HER, than we would be able to have. I wanted that selfishly, and also for her children, her partner, and her mom - for all of us that had been part of her life.

AfterWords seemed like a good way to create a record of the parts of her life that Jane wanted to leave with us, something we would be able to revisit over the years we are all going to be living without her. Marlaine put her at ease and conducted a thorough interview, capturing charming details and bits of her life that I hadn’t heard about before. It’s a truly priceless record of who she was in the world and I know I will come back to it over and over again.

The recording of the interview is also precious, hearing her voice and feeling her energy as she told various stories has been so beautiful to have as we are grieving her loss.

Marlaine guided her through her memories with a light touch that allowed Jane to tell her own story and also hit on the points that will be important for her family in the future. After the interview, Jane told me how much she had enjoyed the process and revisiting her life. Marlaine has a gift for connect with people and helping them navigate these sensitive topics and I’m so grateful Jane was able to do this.

— Sarah N.