Letter from Julia Barrera, Team Member at Get It Done SB: Living Loud with Advance Care Planning

“One thing I can say about my family is, like the way they talk, the way they live is loud.”

I grew up in a proud Sicilian-American family, the Lumias, which meant every kitchen was alive with raucous conversation, every dinner filled with petty bickering and sincere compliments, and every hug a long tight embrace that let you know “I will love you no matter what.” Every emotion, positive or negative, was expressed loudly and intensely, without shame or censorship. This included feelings about disease, aging, and death