Living Life Facing Death

Living Life, Facing Death offers a reflective perspective on how dying fits into our living, whether we are facing our own death, or that of a loved one. It is for those who would like to think deeply about the many meanings death can have as the formative culminating event of a human life.

ad;bnpaio nbqw;oreb n Is it possible to have a good death, free from unnecessary pain and trauma? What if our final days were designed to bring about reconciliation and release? In this wise and large-hearted book, Dr. Jim deMaine offers advice pointing the way toward a grace-filled transition out of life. Facing Death is both a memoir-in-vignettes and a handbook full of practical advice from Dr. deMaine's forty years in busy hospitals and ICUs. Using stories from his own life and practice, the veteran physician walks readers through ethical questions around "heroic" interventions: Do we fully understand what we're asking when we tell doctors to "do everything" to prolong life, even in cases when a patient has no chance of regaining consciousness? If we write advance directives outlining the kinds of care we would, or would not want, how can we ensure that they will be followed? As a pulmonary and critical care specialist, Dr. deMaine developed deep experience navigating such quandaries with patients and their families. In Facing Death he also treads into territory many physicians avoid, such as the role of spirituality; conflicts between doctors and families; cultural traditions that can aid or impede the goal of a peaceful transition, and ways to leave a moral legacy for our descendants.

“A gentle, knowledgeable guide to a fate we all share” (The Washington Post): the first and only all-encompassing action plan for the end of life. “There is nothing wrong with you for dying,” hospice physician B.J. Miller and journalist and caregiver Shoshana Berger write in A Beginner’s Guide to the End. “Our ultimate purpose here isn’t so much to help you die as it is to free up as much life as possible until you do.” Theirs is a clear-eyed and big-hearted action plan for approaching the end of life, written to help readers feel more in control of an experience that so often seems anything but controllable. Their book offers everything from step-by-step instructions for how to do your paperwork and navigate the healthcare system to answers to questions you might be afraid to ask your doctor, like whether or not sex is still okay when you’re sick. Get advice for how to break the news to your employer, whether to share old secrets with your family, how to face friends who might not be as empathetic as you’d hoped, and how to talk to your children about your will. (Don’t worry: if anyone gets snippy, it’ll likely be their spouses, not them.) There are also lessons for survivors, like how to shut down a loved one’s social media accounts, clean out the house, and write a great eulogy. An honest, surprising, and detail-oriented guide to the most universal of all experiences, A Beginner’s Guide to the End is “a book that every family should have, the equivalent of Dr. Spock but for this other phase of life” (New York Times bestselling author Dr. Abraham Verghese).

'Wonderful, thoughtful, practical' - Cariad Lloyd, Griefcast 'Encouraging and inspiring' - Dr Kathryn Mannix, author of Amazon bestseller With the End in Mind End-of-life doula Anna Lyons and funeral director Louise Winter have joined forces to share a collection of the heartbreaking, surprising and uplifting stories of the ordinary and extraordinary lives they encounter every single day. From working with the living, the dying, the dead and the grieving, Anna and Louise reveal the lessons they've learned about life, death, love and loss. Together they've created a profound but practical guide to rethinking the one thing that's guaranteed to happen to us all. We are all going to die, and that's ok. Let's talk about it. This is a book about life and living, as much as it's a book about death and dying. It's a reflection on the beauties, blessings and tragedies of life, the exquisite agony and ecstasy of being alive, and the fragility of everything we hold dear. It's as simple and as complicated as that.

**THE MILLION COPY BESTSELLER** 'Rattling. Heartbreaking. Beautiful,' Atul Gawande, bestselling author of Being Mortal What makes life worth living in the face of death? At the age of thirty-six, on the verge of completing a decade's training as a neurosurgeon, Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. One day he was a doctor treating the dying, the next he was a patient struggling to live. When Breath Becomes Air chronicles Kalanithi's transformation from a medical student asking what makes a virtuous and meaningful life into a neurosurgeon working in the core of human identity - the brain - and finally into a patient and a new father. Paul Kalanithi died while working on this profoundly moving book, yet his words live on as a guide to us all. When Breath Becomes Air is a life-affirming reflection on facing our mortality and on the relationship between doctor and patient, from a gifted writer who became both. 'A vital book about dying. Awe-inspiring and exquisite. Obligatory reading for the living' Nigella Lawson

Accepting Death, Embracing Life: How Death Teaches Us to Live, is a spiritual and inspirational journey about overcoming the personal grief and hardships of living with the dying and death of loved ones. Patricia Gulino Lansky, gives you practical tools to use as you learn to cope with the loss of loved ones and heal your own grief. Only when you accept the eventuality of death can you truly appreciate and embrace life and all it has to offer. Lansky has over forty years of experience as a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist in private practice, and is an ordained minister currently serving a spiritual community in Virginia. Whether you believe in a higher power or not, Accepting Death, Embracing Life: How Death Teaches Us to Live, is for you. It will interest anyone who has or will assist a loved one in their dying process, as well as anyone who wants to release and heal unresolved emotions of fear, confusion, and grief around death and dying.

Each of us is in the middle of a story. In this astoundingly unique book, bestselling author N.D. Wilson reminds us that to truly live we must recognize that we are dying. Cause of death: life. Death by Living is a poetic exploration of faith, futility, and the incredible joy of this mortal life. N.D. Wilson recounts stories from his life in poetic prose, giving perspective on the life we're given by God. Death by Living explores the topics of family, grappling with the death of loved ones, and how to live with intention to get the most out of our time on Earth. Wilson encourages us to live hard and die grateful, and to see Christ in every pair of eyes. To write a past we won’t regret. All of us must pause and breathe. See the past, see life as the fruit of providence and thousands of personal narratives. We did not choose where to set our feet in time, but we choose where to set them next. We stand in the now. God says create. Live. Choose. Shape the past. Etch your life in stone, and what you make will be forever. In Death by Living, you will: Experience life with renewed wonder Recognize mundane moments as opportunities Learn to live hard and die grateful Recognize death as a gift instead of something to be feared At once inspiring, humorous, and unbelievably moving, this a book that you will read again and again, finding fresh perspective each time you open it.

"The first and only all-encompassing action plan for the end of life. When it comes to death, we are all beginners. What we could use is a clear-eyed, bighearted friend to hold our hand and walk us through not just the practical decisions we'll have to make in the coming months and years, but also how to engage with loved ones and face our fears. That is why one of the leading hospice and palliative medicine doctors in the country and an experienced caregiver and journalist teamed up to guide you, your friends, and your family through the unfamiliar to-do lists and the emotional and medical choices that often overwhelm us. You'll learn: Why your partner may not be the best choice to speak for you if you can't speak for yourself; That you can choose how much (or how little) you want to know about your condition; That there are constructive ways to manage your fear of death; That there are strategies for keeping your kids (and their spouses) from fighting over your stuff; How to break the news of a diagnosis to your employer; Whether to toss old love letters and share family secrets; How to face friends who might not be as helpful as you'd hoped; How to adapt your sex life. The guide begins well before a diagnosis and ends well after the memorial. No subject is too small: Did you know you can buy a casket at Walmart? That cremation isn't the greenest option? That your 'When I Die' file should include not just passwords, but also letters to the people you love, and maybe your favorite family recipes? You'll find out how to get the most out of a hospital visit (and that a medical student may be your best ally), along with tips on how to get real information out of your doctor. There are also lessons for caregivers, like how to get help at home, shut down social media accounts, clean out the condo, and write a good eulogy. 'There is nothing wrong with you for dying,' B] Miller and Shoshana Berger write in their introduction. 'Our ultimate purpose here isn't so much to help you die as it is to tree up as much life as possible until you do.'"--Dust jacket.

A guide to living life in the moment uses lessons learned from the dying to help the living find the most enjoyment and happiness.