Leadership

I’ve had experience, as a healthcare executive, seeing the results of people who did not have advance care plans, and their families floundered as a result. I hope my involvement with Light the Legacy can help spread the word and can assist with putting systems in place to make ACP something that is in place for everyone.

Working as a hospitalist physician required me to manage countless family conferences in end of life situations. Commonly a health care directive was not available, or too vague to provide direction to loved ones. I saw this as a huge missed opportunity for both patients and families, which has motivated me to help promote advance care planning in our community.

Hello! My name is Sarah Schmidt and I have a heart for the elderly and end-of-life planning. I have been
a licensed Mortician for 20+ years, served as Chaplain in a long-term care setting, and am currently licensed as an Assisted Living Director. I was first introduced to Light The Legacy approximately 2015- 2016. At the time, I was very focused on Seniors and grief. One of the ways to relieve some of the stress at the time of death is to plan ahead. Funeral details are one way of planning, but Light The Legacy brings in another key component of advanced planning through health care directives and they all tie together the umbrella of end-of-life conversations. I’m looking forward to serving on the Board of Directors and spending time collaborating with a team that brings all sorts of backgrounds and experiences to the table!

As a Palliative Care Physician I have a passion for helping people with their Advance Care
Planning. I have been involved with Light the Legacy since it was founded and enjoy serving on
the Board of Directors in order to have a greater impact on end of life care for the people of
Minnesota.

Advance care planning is crucial to each of us receiving the kind of health care we want. Light the Legacy is educating members of our community on the importance of this work and I am honored to be a part of it.

With 30+ years in healthcare and 17+ years as a Deacon in the Catholic Church, I have journeyed with many individuals transitioning from life to death. Planning for that transition by having a Advanced Care Plan in place lifts the burden off the individual and is a gift for his or her family knowing that their end-of-life wishes will be honored.

Lynn knows firsthand how important it is to complete your health care directive when young and healthy.  At age 39, her first husband Bruce was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and Lynn found herself making some of the most difficult decisions of her life on his behalf. However, she could do so with peace of mind and confidence because Bruce left her with a road map – his Health Care Directive, which he they had completed together years earlier.  Lynn was not only grateful for Bruce’s Health Care Directive, but the many conversations they had long before his passing. As Lynn would tell anyone – “completing your Health Care Directive is one of the greatest gifts of love you can leave your loved ones.”

Lynn holds a degree in Interdepartmental Speech Communications from St. Cloud State University and is certified through Respecting Choices® as an advance care planning facilitator and instructor for advance care planning facilitators and POLST (Providers Orders for Life Sustaining Treatments) facilitators. She is author of the book The Tear Catcher – God’s Hand in Your Heartache and the play An Almost Murder Mystery, and is an experienced speaker who is passionate about empowering people to discuss end-of-life issues, motivating them to complete health care directives, and generating this momentum throughout Minnesota and beyond.