Tragedy strikes at the strangest time. On a Sunday, I was returning from a two-week work trip across Mexico and Cuba and by Thursday, I learned my Aunt Brenda had passed away back in North…

It’s not unusual for health care team members, whether you’re a physician, nurse, or other valued member of the team, to have difficulty knowing where to start when approaching conversations about end of life. Below…

As we wrap up 2025, it’s a perfect moment for introspection. We deeply appreciate the insights we’ve gained from you—individuals and communities who have generously shared their experiences with advance care planning discussions. Throughout the…

This past year, I hosted Death Cafés at my college, Duke University. A death cafe is a community gathering where people come together to freely talk about whatever they want related to death and dying,…

While conversations about health care wishes are our special sauce, we always get questions about where to store documents (health care proxy, advance directives, etc.) once they have been filled out. Below are common scenarios…

We’ve been married for 21 years so taking care of my husband is not new. But when the surgeon told us that the mass in his pelvis was leiomyosarcoma, a rare cancer of the soft…