As far as deaths go, it was a good death. She died with a loved one with her, showing her affection and love. (I had always been concerned she would die alone…that I wouldn’t make it to her on time…or that she would die in her sleep, or from a stroke during the day…and I […]

Terminally ill patients have a common desire: to be treated as live human beings until the moment they die. Sometimes they ask, “Am I dying?” as a way of gauging your feelings. Instead of attempting to play God with a yes or no answer, reflect the question back: “I don’t know. How are you feeling?” […]

She visits people who are dying–in their homes, in hospitals, in nursing homes. And if you were to ask her, “What do people who are sick and dying talk about?” She, without hesitation or uncertainty, would tell you, “Mostly, they talk about their families: about their mothers and fathers, their sons and daughters.” “They talk […]

I had started my grieving in the years my Mother lived with Alzheimer’s…and it grew in intensity in the years before her death…as she gradually evaporated before my eyes. For several months after her husband of 68 years died in June 2010, she’d displayed a disinterest in life and started to wither away. (She had […]

Six days before she passed, her eyes were glazy as she weakly looked at me with half-lidded eyes. I spoke to her soothingly, telling her I was her daughter Melanie, and carefully swabbed her mouth…something she was allowing me to do…she had refused others this act. And then she took 12 strong sucks of the […]

Here is a heartfelt thank you to those who reached out, expressing thoughts of condolence regarding my mother’s death. My time with her, during those ten days leading up to her death, was an absolutely incredible experience…sprinkled with cherished moments (some of which I will share with you in upcoming Blog posts)…although an exhausting time…and […]

Thanks for passing on this story, Ken: Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish wolfhound named Belker. The dog’s owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle. I examined Belker and found he was dying […]

We really never know exactly when our last goodbye will come with anyone. And when our parents become elderly and frail we may get an alert and have a sense of what’s coming…but we still never know for sure. Before a parent is gone, we understand intellectually that they will die some day. But understanding […]

Today, being the anniversary of when my sister’s body was found, is a rather disquieting day for me…being that it is a reminder of all the horror and sadness my family had to endure as a result of Cindy’s sudden and mysterious death. I was simply bumbling my way through the day, trying to make […]

In my last Blog post I shared the touching story of Nick Charles, the former CNN sports anchor, who is dying of cancer and consciously leaving an oral legacy for his family. He’s talked with counselors and hospice workers about his final week. It will go something like this: He’ll lose his appetite first. After […]