How do you know if someone is dead?
[Editor’s note] While it seems a little inappropriate to share, this article raises some good points. Many people think of death as black and white — you’re alive or you’re not — those of us who’ve been around death know it’s...
When the clock won’t stop
My mother won’t die. I know, it’s awful to say. I don’t particularly want her to die, but it’s inevitable. She’s dying. She’s been dying. I can’t change that. The problem is that she won’t let go of the dying part and...
Where Grief Takes Us: A Caregiver’s Journey Living with Loss
Somehow I knew I had to walk through that grief. I couldn’t work it away, or ignore it, or pretend it wasn’t there.
Mortality, Loss, and Finding Peace
Dealing with the loss of a loved one is emotional torture. It can be wretched. Almost violent in its disruption especially when loss comes as a surprise. Death can be insufferable for those who are left behind and therefore mortality as a topic is generally...
Why talking about death is an act of love
The only parent-child conversation more excruciating than the birds and the bees is the death talk. In a fantasy world, our parents would record their end-of-life wishes in a legal document and set aside a good chunk of change for funding. They would include a...
Never stop hugging: Don’t treat the dying like porcelain dolls
Though I had been keeping track of my mother’s weight and vital signs like some people analyze the statistics of their fantasy football players, I was still unprepared when I saw my mother’s emaciated body in person. How much weight could one lose in a month? A lot,...
Feeling human
“I can’t be angry.” Well I sure can. That is what I responded in my head when she told me it was cancer. I remember that evening eight years ago as if it were a moment a go. I pulled up to her house; she got in the car and told me what the doctor said. She had a book...
Do sweat the small stuff: Why nurturing is just as vital as nursing at the end of life
It may sound crazy, but if there was ever a time to employ the cliché, “Stop and smell the roses,” it is when taking care of a loved one who is dying. Family caregivers can become so preoccupied with monitoring, managing, and documenting their loved one’s...
Why Are We in Denial About Death?
Physicians and family members must find the courage and compassion to talk about dying before it’s too late.
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