WELCOME TO OUR BLOG
Welcome to the SevenPonds.com blog – a community-driven extension of SevenPonds.com! I hope you find comfort and community in the resources and stories featured here. I’m always happy to hear from readers and can be reached at suzette@sevenponds.com.
FEATURED
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Our Annual Seven Holiday Gifts for Someone Who Is Grieving, 2024 Edition: Gracious gifts that spread love and beauty -
“Making Mobiles” by Karolina Merska: An artist’s manual on how to create beautiful Polish pajaki -
“Hands Up to the Sky” by Michael Franti & Spearhead: A surprisingly upbeat song about acknowledging both loss and the beauty of life
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Categories
Tag Archives: Medical examiner
What Is A Coroner And What Does Their Work Entail?
An interview with Ken Holmes, former Coroner for Marin County, California, Part One
Today SevenPonds speaks with Ken Holmes. Originally from Fresno, CA, Ken began working with the Marin County Coroner’s Office as a death investigator in 1975. He worked there for 36 years, eventually serving as the elected coroner for 12 years. … Continue reading
How Can a Family Best Work with a Coroner or Medical Examiner? Interview with Judy Melinek, Part Two
Working with a professional when an autopsy is required
Today, SevenPonds completes our interview with Judy Melinek, M.D., a forensic pathologist who does autopsies for the Alameda County Sheriff Coroner’s Office in California. (Read part one of the interview here.) Dr. Melinek has a bachelor’s degree from Harvard and … Continue reading
How Can a Family Best Work with a Coroner or Medical Examiner? Interview with Judy Melinek, Part One
A medical examiner shares Information about death investigations
Today, SevenPonds speaks with Judy Melinek, M.D., a forensic pathologist who does autopsies for the Alameda County Sheriff Coroner’s Office in California. Dr. Melinek has a bachelor’s degree from Harvard and medical degree from the University of California, Los Angeles. She … Continue reading
What Happens When You Die Alone in New York?
Investigators unravel the mystery of George Bell's life
You might be surprised to hear that dying alone isn’t an entirely uncommon event in New York City. Its dense population attracts socialites as much as it does those who want to be left alone in complete anonymity, becoming just … Continue reading
Posted in Something Special
Tagged Cremation, Dying Alone, George Bell, Living Will, Medical examiner, New York City, The New York Times
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Working Stiff: Two Years, 262 Bodies, and the Making of a Medical Examiner by Judy Melinek, M.D. and T.J. Mitchell
Judy Melinek shares how her career as a pathologist has colored her understanding of life and death
Judy Melinek’s Working Stiff is the kind of memoir that reads like a season of the TV show “CSI”. In her book, she writes how her experience as a forensic pathologist has led her to uncover murder plots, medical accidents … Continue reading
Posted in Lending Insight
Tagged Autopsy, Book Review, Forensic pathologist, Grief, Judy Melinek, Life and Death, Medical examiner, Memior, New York City, Suicide, Working Stiff
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Corruption and Incompetence in the Coroner’s Office
Many coroners do not provide quality end of life investigation
Massively controversial but often overlooked is the institution of the coroner. Inherited from Great Britain back in colonial days, the position originated as the King’s investigator who kept track of deaths and, more importantly, collected some last death taxes. Today … Continue reading
