As Weymouth resident Esther Nganga sat holding her beautiful 11-week old son, Jabari, she laughed recalling her initial skepticism of having a midwife birthing experience. “Growing up in Kenya, I always heard tales of midwives—tales of women laboring and giving birth without the option for pain intervention,” Esther said.

For Christine Kennefick of Quincy, Massachusetts, cancer was not a short chapter; it was a 14-year journey marked by resilience, deep relationships, and extraordinary compassion. Throughout much of that time, Christine received her care at the Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center at South Shore Health...