Volunteer Spotlight on Client Support Volunteer Risa Denenberg

Risa Denenberg, ARNP, joined our client support team a year ago and brought a great deal of experience with death and dying. She worked with AIDS patients, as a hospice nurse, and then as a palliative care nurse practitioner. While working at Harborview Medical Center, Risa’s patient was the first Harborview patient to request Death With Dignity (DWD), and she was present when C&C volunteers arrived to provide her patient with advice and support. Risa noticed that even though her patient declined too quickly to complete the DWD process, having the option provided great comfort. The experience really affected Risa and made her realize that volunteering with C&C could have a real impact. “In my role as a client support volunteer (CSV), I have a higher level of intimacy with people at the end of life than I had as a nurse practitioner,” says Risa. “Being present for a death is an honor, and a DWD death is as sacred to me as any death I have witnessed.” Risa is now working in women’s health and feels that volunteering with C&C helps her stay tied to the field she loves. She also assists with the training of new CSVs and is an instructor at Shoreline Community College.