Summary:
When Leslie LaChance was diagnosed with cancer she was confronted with her own mortality. Read Leslie’s journey back to health, about her first visit to Taylor Hollow, and why she decided to pre-plan her burial with us.
When Leslie LaChance, an East Nashville creative writing professor, was diagnosed with lung cancer in November of 2017 it was a wake up call.
Suddenly, she knew she had to confront not only the intense physical and emotional toll of such an illness, but she would also have to confront her own mortality. This was not an easy task. It is sometimes tough for us to acknowledge, hold, and make peace with the fact we are all going to die. It is especially difficult under the circumstance of a terminal illness. Leslie’s first treatment didn’t go well, and her prognosis grew worse. Leslie figured she, “only had a year left to live, and it would be a shitty year at that.”
At that point in her life, Leslie hadn’t given much thought to end of life arrangements or funeral planning. She knew based on her religious beliefs and a commitment to the environment she didn’t want a conventional burial with a big metal casket, concrete grave liner, and embalming. Instead, she always imagined herself going the route of cremation because it seemed more environmentally friendly than that. It wasn’t until she learned one of her friends had a green burial that she thought maybe her family could have a more meaningful experience–so she decided to do some googling. She never dreamed this could be an option in Tennessee, let alone in Nashville’s backyard less than an hour away. She found the Larkspur website and grew even more curious. She felt a gut instinct. She knew immediately that whatever was happening at Larkspur she wanted to know more.
“Since childhood I’ve always been an environmentally inclined person,” says Leslie, “That’s my value system. I love the earth. I love the woods. I grew up hiking and I love ecosystems.” In November of 2018, after several rounds of treatment which got her cancer under control, and nearly almost an entire year after her diagnosis, Leslie was well enough to visit Larkspur at Taylor Hollow. She decided it was time for an in-person hike for the first time, and she brought along her husband and step-daughter to tour the grounds with her.
Leslie recalled how the hike with her family at Taylor Hollow made discussing end of life plans easier. The more she faced her own mortality, the more comfortable everyone got with talking about death. Before the hike her step-daughter had always been uncomfortable when Leslie or her husband would bring up the subject, but visiting Larkspur changed everything. They discussed what a burial there might look like, what the process is when someone dies, and how to take care of their loved one’s remains. It gave them as a family the ability to talk about all that surrounds death and grow more comfortable with the reality each of them is going to die. Leslie shared the hike at Larkspur gave them a chance to talk about all those usually “hard and icky things” in a beautiful place.
After their hike Leslie and her husband knew what they wanted; they were going to change their plans from cremation to natural burial at Larkspur. They knew it was the right place for them. “Being at Larkspur was so life affirming,” says Leslie, “I love the land stewardship aspect of Larkspur. It is a way to, in your final gesture on this earth, take care of the land… It doesn’t sound like a lot, it’s just your body and a patch of earth, but by resting there we are protecting it from the ravages of development we see all around it and empowering the land itself. I’m grateful to Larkspur that we have the opportunity to do that.”
But life got in the way: she got busy with doctors appointments, spending time with family, and then the pandemic hit. Finalizing their plan got put on the back burner. After the occasional check in, they finally decided it was the right time to pre-purchase their burial rights. In November of 2021, Leslie sat down with Larkspur staff over coffee to work through the final details. It was four years to the day of her diagnosis. “It was a really powerful moment to realize and see how everything had aligned over time. It felt like there was something greater at work than just my needs or my family’s needs. Making that commitment to Larkspur felt powerful, like a commitment to something much bigger—it was a kind of big magic.“
If you’d like to learn more about natural burial and the land conservation efforts at Larkspur, or if you’d like to join for a guided hiking tour, please contact us. We’d love to meet you and show you the life affirming land that Leslie–and so many others–have grown to know and love.