Death Cafes help ease grief, loss in the time of coronavirus
This Nov. 16, 2019 photo shows an altar made by mortician and death cafe host Angela Craig-Fournes in honor of Death Cafe founder Jon Underwood, who died in 2017. Others attending virtual Death Cafes are coping with fresh losses from COVID-19, cancer and other illness. At one recent virtual Death Cafe, a 33-year-old man spoke of refusing to pack up his wifes belongings six months after her death from cancer. Psychotherapist Nancy Gershman, who specializes in grief and loss, has been hosting Death Cafes in New York since they made their way to the U.S. in 2013. She also trains others as doulas and has been hosting Death Cafes in Washington, D.C., for about five years.