Tag Archives: terminal illness

How Do We Improve Communication About Palliative Care?

An interview with palliative care physician Dr. Steven Pantilat, Part One

Today, SevenPonds speaks with Dr. Steven Pantilat, a San Francisco-based healthcare professional with an expertise in palliative care. Dr. Pantilat teaches at UCSF, and consults with hospitals and other healthcare facilities on the best methods for improving communication about palliative … Continue reading

Posted in Professional Advice | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“The Evening and the Morning and the Night” by Octavia Butler

Butler's novelette explores the isolation experienced by those who have terminal illnesses

What if researchers discovered a cure for cancer, but in the process, unwittingly triggered a deadly genetic disease? This is the premise behind “The Evening and the Morning and the Night,” a short science fiction story by Octavia Butler. Although the … Continue reading

Posted in Lending Insight | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

How Does “You’re Going to Die” Facilitate Talking About Death?

An interview with Ned Buskirk, Part Two

Today SevenPonds concludes its interview with Ned Buskirk of the program You’re Going to Die, also known as YG2D. Ned is an entrepreneur, educator and producer who lives and works in San Francisco, California.  Debra: Do you find that terminally … Continue reading

Posted in Professional Advice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Guilt and Shame at the End of Life

Living with a life-limiting illness can be much harder when you blame yourself

Make the most of your regrets; never smother your sorrow, but tend and cherish it till it comes to have a separate and integral interest. To regret deeply is to live afresh. ~ Henry David Thoreau Joe sat in his living … Continue reading

Posted in So, You Got the News | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

New ALS Therapy Shows Promise

Researchers in Israel have developed a way to slow disease progression in mice

Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beer-Sheva, Israel, have developed a promising new treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. Also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, ALS is a degenerative disease of the nervous system that causes loss … Continue reading

Posted in Something Special | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

“The Deep” by Anthony Doerr

Doerr’s award winning short story emphasizes the importance of embracing all that life has to offer

While finishing up a contemporary short story class this semester, I came across a piece of fiction that has since nestled itself deeply into my consciousness. The story, which I found in Ben Marcus’s book “New American Stories,” is by American … Continue reading

Posted in Lending Insight | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment