North Island College fourth-year nursing student Maria Einarson is inviting the community to a funny conversation about death.
Einarson is organizing an evening with comedian Dion Arnold and his one-man show How I Killed My Nan, Monday, Dec. 2 at the Stan Hagen Theatre.
The show tells the story of Arnold’s grandmother, who chose to access Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) at the age of 96 and was featured at fringe festivals throughout the country this summer including in Winnipeg, Edmonton and Vancouver.
The event is being presented as part of Einarson’s fourth-year leadership project for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.
“The topic for this project stems from pure curiosity,” said Einarson. “MAiD was legally passed in 2016 and is an incredibly patient-driven process compared to other health care initiatives. The rate of Medical Assistance in Dying on Vancouver Island is approximately five times higher than the rest of Canada, but it’s a topic that many people find uncomfortable to talk about.”
Einarson chose the comedy show as a way to present the information in a more accessible way.
“Research shows that the healing power of laughter in death and grieving, along with its ability to relieve stress, may be one of the greatest medical discoveries of our time,” said Einarson. “Death itself is never funny, but the memories before and after can be filled with opportunities for laughter. By exploring it through a personal story, and one that is meant to be entertaining and funny, it can make the topic more accessible for people who may not be comfortable talking about death.”
Tickets are available through Eventbrite or by contacting Einarson at meinarson@northislandcollege.ca.