I’m thinking a good death is one in which a person dies on his or her own terms, relatively free from pain, in a supported and dignified setting, with affairs in order.

The tenets in The Four Things That Matter Most, by Ira Byock, a medical doctor who professes the need for a dying person to express and hear four thoughts at the end of life, are:

“I love you.”

“Thank you.”

“I forgive you.”

“Forgive me.”

Melanie Hack
Author of Who Killed My Sister, My Friend
Read an excerpt now
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