Worth Reading …

Being Mortal by Atul Gawande, MD

Medicine has triumphed in modern times, [b]ut when it comes to the inescapable realities of aging and death, what medicine can do often runs counter to what it should... Doctors, uncomfortable discussing patients’ anxieties about death, fall back on false hopes and treatments that are actually shortening lives instead of improving them.

That Good Night by Surita Puri, MD

“Puri writes about how palliative care specialists are working to change medicine from within — teaching other doctors how to talk to patients about their hopes and fears, not just their disease and treatment.”

—NPR

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi, MD

"This inspiring, exquisitely observed memoir finds hope and beauty in the face of insurmountable odds as an idealistic young neurosurgeon attempts to answer the question What makes a life worth living?" -- New york Times

The Gray Zone and The Fog Zone by Deborah Day Laxson

The first two books of a planned trilogy sharing the journey of a couple navigating a terminal cancer diagnosis and treatment. Laxson shares their story in a clear and compelling manner, explaining the journey from the perspective of the patient, her husband Bill, and her own view point as his Health Care Agent. A must-read for those providing care to patients at the end of life.