Heart of Hospice interviews Jon Braddock

Interview by: Helen Bauer, RN, CHPN, Heart of Hospice

Have you ever been the decision maker for someone else’s choices?  Not the little choices, like what outfit to wear, or where to eat dinner.  The big decisions.

Where a person wants to be buried.

How he wants to die, surrounded by family, or with medical professionals there.

What kind of care she wants for her physical body – cremation, burial, body donation.

Where the money goes after death.

That’s a lot of HUGE decisions.  On top of that, you can add the work of finding documents, passwords, usernames, and account numbers.  Life is complicated, and dealing with a loved one’s end-of-life business can be overwhelming.

Jerry and I had the privilege of interviewing Jon Braddock, CEO and founder of My Life & Wishes for our January 1st podcast.  When Jon’s father in law died suddenly in 2013, Jon and his wife Michelle found themselves working through a challenging 10 month ordeal.  You can read about their story here.

Based on what they learned, the Braddocks started My Life & Wishes, an online service that allows individuals to “create a secure end-of-life plan and digital record to share information about finances, insurance, wills, funeral wishes and more”.

My Life & Wishes provides secure storage for unlimited personal documents, including financial, insurance, funeral plans, health care, and personal contacts and data.  The site creates a place to store information for every aspect of an individual’s life.  It’s an invaluable service.  Making decisions and storing all the necessary documents in one place can provide a lot of relief to your loved ones at a time when grief can be overwhelming.

Jon’s also written a book called “Click Here When I Die”.   The book is “an irreverent guide to modern day Death Etiquette, to help you be thoughtfully prepared for your passing. He takes you through all you need to consider to ensure things are significantly easier for your loved ones: from wills and trusts to long term healthcare and funeral costs–as well as digital concerns like your online financial and social media accounts.  With Click Here When I Die, leaving a mess behind for your family and friends to deal with can be avoided. They can rest easy, and you can rest in peace.”

You can find the book for sale on Amazon, and you can listen to our interview with Jon on the HOH (Heart of Hospice) January 1, 2018 podcast.

Jon shares his story with a lot of warmth and humor.  We can all learn from his experience.

The best time to start your end-of-life planning is today.   My Life & Wishes is a great place to do it.

Remember, no matter who you are,

Or where you are in your hospice journey,

You are the Heart of Hospice.