Death.

It will happen to us all someday. Guaranteed. It's a source of fear. "Will it hurt?" It’s a source of grief. "I don’t know how I can go on without her." It’s the inspiration for great works of art, literature, poetry—even theologies. It is the ultimate mystery.

We wanted to know more about it. So we began making a documentary about people with terminal illnesses who were very close to death. What did they think about as death approached? What did they wish for? Any regrets? Any fears? Where did they believe they were going?

To gain access to patients, we worked through a hospice. And we began to see an even more fascinating story—the story of the hospice workers themselves. Who are these "angels of death" —as they are sometimes called? Who would do such work? And why? Hospice workers have witnessed hundreds of deaths. What did they know about it after facing it so many times? How does that knowledge inform their lives?

We found that each death (like each birth) is similar, but each death is also as unique as the individual who is dying. Through talking with hospice workers, we discovered that in death people often become even more of what they already are. There are ‘good’ deaths and ‘bad’ deaths.

And we discovered that hospice workers do this work in answer to a calling deep within themselves.

Witness: To Heal Ourselves is an intimate look at the people who have dedicated their lives to helping others to ‘cross over.’ The film offers viewers some insights into what to expect. But beyond the question of "what will happen to me?" it offers entry into a vast store of wisdom and experience about death and dying. What hospice workers have seen, what they know, is at the core of the human experience.