Americans have long been chided as the only people on earth who believe death is optional. But the quip is losing its premise. A recent profusion of personal narratives, best-selling books and social entrepreneurs’ projects…
Americans have long been chided as the only people on earth who believe death is optional. But the quip is losing its premise. A recent profusion of personal narratives, best-selling books and social entrepreneurs’ projects…
Clementine’s mother always had a plan for how she would like to leave this world. However, like so many other things life, events did not allow her the “mythical ending” she always believed she would…
Sometimes, doctors and patients disagree about end-of-life care. I know, because it happened with me. Not long ago, a frail-looking elderly patient appeared at my cardiac health clinic with a file full of hospitalizations stemming…
A 90-year-old Michigan woman who was diagnosed with cancer last year has decided to take an epic road trip across the country rather than undergo treatment. In the last six months, the woman — identified only as Norma…
Stanford palliative care expert V.J. Periyakoil, MD, tells the story of a recent patient in his 60s who was dying of a brain tumor and whose wife was desperate to keep him alive. A gifted…
Four years ago, when her husband collapsed and died after his daily swimming regimen, Jean Oksner slowly emerged from her shock and grief to realize that circumstances had spared her something she long had feared…