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Hey everyone!

My name is Alisha Winters, and I am the owner of Everett’s Endeavor - Grief and Bereavement Coaching. First and foremost, I am a mother to four beautiful children, and we have a beautiful pup and a bearded dragon lizard. I am also a Registered Nurse and a grief and bereavement coach. My second child, my first son, was diagnosed at 17 weeks with two diseases. Via ultrasound, he was diagnosed with Anencephaly and Rachischisis, two diagnoses incompatible with life. I had worked all night the night before as a CNA and my mom and sister picked me up and took me to my appointment. I remember sleeping on the chair that they did my ultrasound on and waking up to 5 specialists walking into my room after a few hours of reviewing the scans to tell me that my son would not make it very long after birth, if he wasn’t stillborn. They told me that I had a few weeks to decide if I wanted to abort or carry on with the pregnancy and told me all the risks and benefits of both.

I remember leaving there so numb and confused. “This can’t be right. It can’t be that severe. He can heal, right? My body can heal him.” I knew that none of this was true, but I held onto that hope that they missed something. That it wasn’t quite as bad as they thought. I held onto that hope until I went into labor. I was 32 weeks and 2 days when contractions started, I labored for 3 days and finally delivered a footling at 32 weeks 5 days - Everett Braxton. He was alive for 54 minutes. Within 24 hours, I was discharged for a 2-hour car ride back home, without my baby. My discharge instructions were to follow up in 6 weeks with my OBGYN for a regular postpartum check-up. Nothing else... No psychiatric follow-up, no check-in to make sure that I was okay, no referrals for support. I had my family and close friends to rely on to help me through a time that none of us had ever experienced before. I was 18 years old and planning my son’s visitation and funeral. However, at 18 years old, I was very adamant about certain aspects that I needed to be able to cope with the loss and heal. Initially, it was physical proximity to him that comforted me. My 18-month-old daughter and I would go up to his gravesite and have picnics with him, and I had toys up there for her to “play with her bub”. I felt the most at peace when I was with both of them. I noticed as time went on, I started to feel him more in my everyday life; Visits gradually dropped back to decorating his gravesite for holidays, spending the holidays with him, his birthday, and then just whenever I wanted to drop in, but it never felt like I had to anymore for his presence. This was really reassuring and life-altering for me, because it was healing for me to be able to feel him in my everyday life.

I started college for my RN-BSN the August after Everett passed. I was set on making a difference and felt like being a labor and delivery nurse was the answer for that. I even completed my capstone in labor and delivery. Then I graduated, pursued a different specialty, and never really felt like I was making the difference that I wanted to or was capable of. After 5 years of nursing, I started a program with Grand Canyon University that would allow me to walk alongside individuals who have gone through something like me; I wanted to help them see the light. Mental Health and Wellness with an emphasis in Grief and Bereavement. This felt right. Then classes started and I realized that everything that I had been doing since I was 18 are all of the researched methods for the most effective healing. I am excited to be able to utilize my history, personal experiences, and professional knowledge to help other families who have gone through something similar.

My current, and primary, focus for Everett’s Endeavor is close family members who have experienced perinatal loss. This can be individual sessions or family group sessions. I am happy to help from diagnosis, through delivery, and after, as an emergency call while in the hospital, or after with no signs of improvement. Having a medical background, I can help with relaying information, if needed, as well. I believe in holistic approaches that help grieving individuals feel supported through perinatal loss.

Although my primary focus is perinatal loss, I have been an oncology nurse and oncology research nurse for the last 5.5 years. I have a special place in my heart for pediatric oncology patients and their family members, and a wealth of knowledge in the field. I would be happy to assist any families going through a terminal diagnosis of this nature.

Currently sessions will only be virtual and are not state limited. If I can provide in-person sessions in the future, I will add my location as well as that option for anyone that prefers that route instead.

** IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE**

Even though I am a Registered Nurse and a Grief and Bereavement Coach, these two do NOT overlap. This will be clearly defined in the contract.

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