Discover What We’re About
The annual Mary O'Connor Palliative and Hospice Care Conference in Calgary, Alberta brings the heart of the palliative and end of life care community together to strengthen collaboration and gain new knowledge.
Every year offers a new experience.
Here is what occurred in 2017.
The
Mary O'Connor Story
The Heart Behind What We Do
Mary O’Connor was diagnosed with cancer in the Fall of 2003. Supported by the palliative program offered by the Calgary Health Region, she treated her end-of-life journey as her “greatest adventure of all”, vowing that she would actively embrace whatever time was left and would continue to help others to her last breath. Her positive attitude had a profound effect on all those she encountered, and her influence has lasted long after her death.
As one friend and fellow adventurer wrote:
“Mary transformed us all with her spiritual grace, her astounding courage in the face of great adversity, and her ability to step outside her illness and teach us all a new dimension of love.”
Mary’s dynamic personality enriched the lives of many people. She possessed an indomitable spirit hidden in a slight frame. She was the kind of person that you name your children after in the hope that they’ll acquire some of her qualities.
Following Mary’s passing, the employees of O’Connor & Associates, along with family friends, organized a fundraising event, “The 2004 Mary O’Connor Run for Life”, to celebrate her life and provide continuing support for her initiative to help others through their end-of-life journeys. Proceeds from this annual event have been directed to several palliative care programs in Calgary, including providing the seed money to enable the continuing education an awareness offered through this annual conference.
For this reason, the former Calgary Health Region (now part of Alberta Health Services) was pleased to rename this conference in memory of Mary O’Connor, whose own journey was directed to engaging and embracing people so they may learn beyond the horizon in palliative care.
Becky Van Tassel
Education Consultant Grief Support
Bev Berg
Director of Palliative and End of Life Care
Janet Vandale
Clinical Nurse Specialist Palliative Home Care
The People Behind the Mission
We are thrilled to welcome you to the 25th Annual Mary O'Conner Palliative and Hospice Care Conference. This event offers a unique opportunity for healthcare providers and volunteers to come together to expand knowledge and deepen our shared passion for palliative care.
Lauren Hutchison
Clinical Nurse Specialist
Palliative Care Consult Service
Jennifer Zelmer
Education Consultant
Advanced Care Planning
Amanda Lucas
Clinical Nurse Specialist
Palliative and End of Life Care
Rhonda Poetker
Advanced Care Planning Goals
of Care & Grief Support
Corinne Spronken
Education Consultant
Advanced Care Planning
Margot Sondermann
Palliative Consult for Severe Lung Disease
Palliative Care Consult Service
Amanda Piche
Administrative Assistant
Palliative Care Consult Service
& Hospice Access
Betty Niessen
Administrative Assistant
Palliative & End of Life Care
Jaclynn Cote
The Quilt
The story of the quilt:
The quilt is a long-standing tradition at the Mary O'Connor Conference; each year a one-of-a-kind quilt is designed and created for us by Bev Rinehart.
In the past, raffle tickets were sold at the in-person conferences and proceeds were used as a mechanism to help support some costs of the conference and keep registration costs as low as possible. This year, if you register and attend our virtual conference – you will automatically be entered for a chance to win this year’s quilt!
Bev Rinehart, now retired, has been an integral part of the palliative, end of life and hospice community in the Calgary zone. Personal experience with the palliative community has also affirmed Bev’s deep appreciation for the passion, compassion, and interdisciplinary approach used in palliative and end of life care.
Year by year, these quilts reflect a growing legacy
of kindness, connection, and care - honoring
the past while inspiring the future of palliative care
Rhonda Poetker
Advanced Care Planning Goals of Care & Grief Support
The
Painting
This painting of the old growth forest of Cathedral Grove on Vancouver Island has come to represent the Mary O’Connor Palliative and Hospice Care Conference. During the 2012 - 2015 conferences, attendees were asked to explore how artistic expression and creativity provide a useful outlet for grief by adding their brush strokes to this painting with the enthusiastic encouragement of West Coast artist, MONK.
The trees represent the legacy of our loved ones as they continue to grow through the years, standing strong and resolute and impacting our lives long after they leave us. This helps us to remember the beautiful souls whom we have loved and lost.
This stunning painting is shared and hung in Calgary hospices on a rotating basis.
Heather Shantz
The Heather Shantz Memorial Lecture Fund was formed to create an annual legacy lecture, reflective of quality, holistic, palliative and end of life care.
Heather Shantz worked as a Clinical Nurse Specialist with the Palliative Care Consult Service Calgary Zone from 2001 to 2019. She was a graduate of the Victoria General Hospital School of Nursing in Halifax (1972), University of British Columbia (B.S.N. 1994) and University of Calgary (M.N. 2001). Heather lived with metastatic breast cancer and died January 26, 2022.
Heather was passionate about quality palliative and end of life care, mentoring, educating, learning, and sharing. She openly shared her lived experience with her colleagues, family and friends as she navigated living with a life limiting illness in the midst of preparing for her end of life.
Aligned with Heather’s commitment to continuous learning about matters of the body, mind, heart, and soul, we are honored to announce that Dr. Winemaker’s presentation at the 2023 Mary O’Connor Conference will be made possible with the support of the Heather Shantz memorial fund.
Memorial Lecture Fund
