Category Archives: So, You Got the News

Hiding the Truth About Heart Failure, Part Two

Patients lose out when doctors aren't honest about what's to come

Things come apart so easily when they have been held together with lies. ~ Dorothy Allison Last month, I introduced my readers to Jim, a 77-year-old man who had been living with congestive heart failure for several years. He and his … Continue reading

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Hiding the Truth About Heart Failure

Doctors and their patients often keep silent for far too long

“Have I, have you, been too silent? Is there an easy crime of silence?”― Carl Sandburg Heart disease is the number one killer in the United States and has been for over 15 years. Over 600,000 Americans die from heart … Continue reading

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Sometimes Denial Is a Useful Tool

Devastating news can be a catalyst for learning and growth -- or not

Denial helps us to pace our feelings of grief. There is a grace in denial. It is nature’s way of letting in only as much as we can handle ~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross Learning that you have a serious and possibly … Continue reading

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Gun Violence Is a Terminal Illness

The epidemic has claimed too many American lives

“Ideas without action remain ideas, and when that happens, children die.” ~ David Hogg, a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School  In the wake of the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida on February 14th, I’m having a great deal of … Continue reading

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When Pretense Is All That’s Left

For some people who are seriously ill, keeping up appearances is more important than support

Some time ago, a friend told me about an acquaintance whom she hadn’t seen for a long time. The acquaintance had a long history of health challenges, but as far as my friend knew, she was doing well. Then the … Continue reading

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The Meaning of a New Year’s Day When You’re Terminally Ill

Taking stock is different when life is about to end

Today is New Year’s Day, the day when many of us take stock of our lives and make plans for the year to come. For some of us, this involves New Year’s resolutions — promises to ourselves about living better, … Continue reading

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