Katie Couric has regrets. Even to this day. When the former TV news anchor spoke at Georgetown University at an event titled “The Healing Power of Communication” in August, 2019, she said she wished she had talked more to her late husband, Jay Monahan,… Continue reading
Not too long ago, a dear friend’s dad suffered a major heart attack and died. At the funeral, there was little time for more than a brief exchange of words. But, given my background in grieving support and education, I wanted to offer some advice to he… Continue reading
If you are sure you would never read a book about how to face death, especially long before you need it, A Beginner’s Guide to the End: Practical Advice for Living Life and Facing Death just might convince you it wouldn’t be bad to have on the shelf. W… Continue reading
(This is a personal essay by retired pastor Larry Patten, who now works in a Fresno, Calif., hospice facility.) Answering the innocent question of what I do for a living can kill a conversation. I work in hospice services, and have visited people in th… Continue reading
I handled all the household finances and bills throughout my 32-year-marriage to my husband, Dale. But when he suddenly died of a massive heart attack at 57 last year, I was so traumatized by the loss, I couldn’t think clearly about managing his life i… Continue reading
When my 57-year-old husband, Dale, suddenly died of a massive heart attack on Nov. 20, 2018, two days before Thanksgiving, to say I was in shock was an understatement. More than a month later, I realized just how much my mental capacity was affected by… Continue reading
When I worked as a professor of business management, my mentor, Elmer Burack, once told me, “The world is full of baby boomers who will be leaving their careers. Once boomers leave the workplace, they won’t know what to do with themselves. You can help… Continue reading
On the March afternoon when her wife Sandy Swanson died of cancer, Liz Mattern knew who to call. A few hours later, two technicians arrived to remove Swanson’s body. As planned, her remains were bequeathed to a medical school through its whole-body don… Continue reading
In a pivotal scene of the documentary End Game, we listen in as team of palliative care professionals discuss Mitra, a 45-year-old woman who is dying of cancer. Should they approach her about hospice? The hospital chaplain urges the group not to bring … Continue reading
Linda Singer has been battling ovarian cancer — and beating it — for nine years. In recent months, though, it became clear that the battle finally had been lost. Rather than dwelling on looming death and planning a traditional funeral service, the ever… Continue reading