At 74, my father found out he had stage 3 lung cancer. The prognosis was grim. That was six years ago. Last month, Dad celebrated his 80th birthday. Even though his disease is terminal, our lives have gone on and we’ve learned a lot along the way throu… Continue reading
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
(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
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
(Editor’s note: This story is part of a special report for The John A. Hartford Foundation.) Cathy Wurzer made a dying man a promise. Through interviews with Bruce Kramer (a former dean at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn.) beginning in 2… Continue reading
(Editor’s note: This story is part of a special report for The John A. Hartford Foundation.) On Jan. 29, 2014, David C. Skipworth died in Garland, Texas at age 67 after a long illness, holding his wife Sandra’s hand and listening to the National Anthem… Continue reading
Everyone will die, some sooner than others. It is a natural, normal and universal part of life. Yet, most people have little experience with the dying process or know what to expect when a person is dying. During this period, it can feel like you are w… Continue reading
(This article is excerpted from Anxiety: The Missing Stage of Grief by Claire Bidwell Smith.) What is anxiety? Where does it come from, and how can you gain control over it? And why is it so frequently spurred by the loss of a loved one? These are ofte… Continue reading