Illness and Mortality Challenge Post
A few years ago, my great-grandfather’s health was deteriorating rapidly. He had been admitted to the hospital, given a two-month prognosis, and had been settled into his living room by hospice all...
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Grief and Healing by Carol P. Christ
My father died on July 6, 2017, 98 years, 4 months, 12 days. The last time I saw him was in the spring of 2004. During that visit, he gave me “the silent treatment” (refused to look at me or speak to...
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Ep. 100 Celebrating A Milestone with Larry George MD
Looking back and ahead to the future after 100 episodes of the EOLU podcast. https://lessonsfromdying.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/podcasteolu100ed.mp3 In this episode I’m joined by my own very dear...
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Comforting the Lonely
Remember those busy days when our families were young and on the move? People surrounded us. In addition to our friends and family, the parents of our children’s friends, neighbors, church ministries,...
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A Death in the Family
July 29 “Brothers… you will not grieve like the rest, who are without hope.” (1 Thess. 4:13) Today, we had a death in the family. It’s not that it wasn’t expected. It was. It’s not because our family...
View Article"A person with dementia is not a person who is dead and gone."
This was the sentence that I began, and ended, our TEDx talk with last week. Like the other speakers, Ming and I only had 15 minutes to deliver this talk which was a challenge as I had written this...
View ArticleTears
I have shed a number for my shattered soul. God give me strength to make myself whole, again.
View ArticleTRIBUTE TO MY FATHER
Dear Readers, On 7/17/2017, my father went to be with the Lord. That’s an awful lot of sevens, and t
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Add Do Not Hospitalize to Your Advance Healthcare Directive or Five Wishes?
Can you have control over your end-of-life care? Is it possible to avoid aggressive medical treatment if you do not want it? According to a Dartmouth Atlas study, 80% of terminally ill patients in the...
View ArticleNew course – Global Trends in Death and Dying
The latest addition to the OEPS portfolio of courses is now available. ‘Global Trends in Death and D
View ArticleDoctor Considers The Pitfalls Of Extending Life And Prolonging Death
Courtesy of Fresh Air | Terry Gross interviews Dr. Haider Warriach | 01.30.2017 | Posted 07.31.2017
View ArticleIntimate Strangers: Article for AJN's Aug 2017 Reflections column
Meeting a family for the first time, on the day they will say good-bye to their child for the last time. Taking care of the child’s physical needs until it’s time to be the one who turns off all that...
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From Here to There
A few weeks ago, we were in New York City, the kaleidoscopic queen of all cities. At last she seems to have recovered from that awful day, now close to 16 years ago. This was not the first time I’d...
View ArticleWading Through the Waters
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you, for...
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Book Review: Wish You Were Here
Wish You Were Here: A Novel, by Renee Carlino Publication: Atria Books; August 15, 2017 About the book: You know when you’re looking at someone and you can’t help but smile at how oblivious they are...
View Article11. Lightning visits
During my bout with mycoplasma pneumonia, I wasn’t able to visit Anthony for about a month, if I include the week before and after hospitalisation. Ming and my mother, Meg, visited him almost daily and...
View ArticleDealing with Unorthodox Grief
I knew I wasn’t normal, I knew it is easy for me to live this crazy wild world because I like different and want to be different. When my father died last May, I felt angst and sorrow all at the same...
View ArticleDying to Know Day
In Australia, the 8th of August is ‘Dying to Know Day’. It’s a concept that a lot of people find confronting. People are encouraged to host events where they sit around and talk about, well, dying....
View Article48 hours
He was dying for a long time, but his death took just a short while. He had planned his funeral, he had written his will and he had said some select goodbyes. Nurses came and went as dignity and...
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Morituri te Salutant
My brother in law died a couple of weeks ago, after a long battle with a brain tumour. It took him by inches, eventually leaving him so weak that it was all he could do to get out of bed and into a...
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