Profiles in presence: NATALIE LOPEZ

Interview with Natalie Lopez in her own words:

This month The Peaceful Presence Project introduces Natalie Lopez, a gifted woman who took the Fall 2024 professional doula training and has recently been facilitating two Connection Cafes in Central Oregon.

Natalie moved here four years ago and found her way into the fabric of the Prineville and Bend communities by lending her hands to elderly or chronically ill farmers who were struggling to maintain their farms and were lacking skilled labor. She helped in exchange for housing, food or other trades. While working with a half dozen Prineville farms, Natalie said, “That community took care of me. They wanted to make sure that I was respected as a young woman of color. I still go out to see and help a couple of farms there, and they’ve become family.” Natalie lived on one farm for a year where she experienced a lot of personal growth and healing, finding she had a crucial gift of being able to be with people in their pain, “I could be in severe situations with people and be able to handle it, not run away but allow them to talk about their traumas and what they were going through right now.”

Her path into end-of-life work was a logical progression from Natalie’s life experiences. “Growing up, I helped out when family members were dying. It wasn’t normal for everyone but this was normal for me. It just came naturally.”  Years later, Natalie was encouraged to take Peer Support Training at COCC, empowering others to overcome the traumas of their past and leading by example. She became certified in the areas of mental health and addiction, and then learned of and took the Peaceful Presence Doula Program through COCC:  “It gave me education and resources to help others. It helped me in my own life, and to see that while life is hard, you can have pockets of joy within those hard times. I also learned how to deal with my emotions and not be so angry with people for not understanding. You educate others as much as you can.”

Throughout the winter, Natalie has served as a facilitator for Peaceful Presence’s inaugural cohort of Connection Cafes in Central Oregon. These community-centered gatherings offer a warm and compassionate environment for open conversations about illness, death, and grief, aiming to reduce the isolation and loneliness that often accompany these challenging experiences.

Natalie has specifically worked as a co-facilitator for bi-weekly Cafes at the Redmond Senior Center and Crooked River Ranch. “These Connection Cafes show that everybody is going through the same thing, and a lot of it is loneliness. Whether they are alone or living with family members, they all feel very lonely, and are ‘waiting to die’, as one individual has put it. They want to have something to look forward to.” One big issue that has surfaced is a lack of transportation which compounds the isolation and loneliness already felt. Natalie sees the lack of resources, but also the determination to connect among the participants. In response, she is helping to offer an online Cafe and is happy to see participants share info in order to stay connected outside of the group. Natalie enjoys giving the group some challenges while “being respectful and careful not to push people. I always let them know that the conversation may open up some things and to be aware of feelings that may come up. I had someone say ‘I haven’t cried for my partner in years, and I just went home and let it all out’ . . .  and (the next week) they came back.”  Natalie is offering her skills and open heart with this wonderful, needed TPPP program. We are so grateful to her!