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Episode 538 - Tony Stewart - Carrying the Tiger - Living With Cancer, Dying With Grace and Finding Joy While GrievingAbout the authorTony Stewart has made award-winning films for colleges and universities, written software that received rave reviews in The New York Times and the New York Daily News, designed a grants-management application that was used by three of the five largest charities in the world, and led the development of an international standard for the messages involved in buying and selling advertisements, for which he spoke at conferences across Europe and North America. Tony and his late wife Lynn Kotula, a painter, traveled extensively in India and Southeast Asia, staying in small hotels off the beaten track and eating delicious food with their fingers when cutlery wasn't available. Carrying the Tiger is his first published book.An inspiring story of love, loss and recovery“[A] beautifully devastating memoir… a remarkable odyssey of learning to ‘live fully in the shadow of death.'” — Publishers Weekly BookLife (Editor's Pick)In the spirit of Joan Didion's The Year of Magical Thinking and Paul Kalanithi's When Breath Becomes Air comes Carrying the Tiger, a life affirming memoir about the full circle of life and death.When Tony Stewart's wife, Lynn, receives a sudden and devastating diagnosis, they scramble to find effective treatment, navigate life threatening setbacks, learn to live fully in the shadow of death, and share the intimate grace of her departure from this world. Then Tony slowly climbs out of shattering grief and, surprisingly, eases toward new love.There is uncertainty, fear, and sorrow, but also tenderness and joy, along with a renewed perspective on what it means to live and love with one's whole heart.“Captures emotions and experiences that will be familiar to anyone who's stood by a loved one facing a cancer diagnosis... this is a work that will strengthen all who read it.” — Khalid Dar, MD, Oncologist, Mount Sinai Morningside“A beautiful and very human love story which breathes an extraordinary generosity of spirit.” — David Newman, author of Talking with Doctorshttps://www.tonystewartauthor.com/Support the show___https://livingthenextchapter.com/podcast produced by: https://truemediasolutions.ca/Coffee Refills are always appreciated, refill Dave's cup here, and thanks!https://buymeacoffee.com/truemediaca
Listen to ASCO's Journal of Clinical Oncology Art of Oncology article, "I Hope So Too” by Dr. Richard Leiter from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The article is followed by an interview with Leiter and host Dr. Mikkael Sekeres. Leiter shares that even in the most difficult moments, clinicians can find space to hope with patients and their families. TRANSCRIPT Narrator: I Hope So Too, by Richard E. Leiter, MD, MA “You're always the negative one,” Carlos' mother said through our hospital's Spanish interpreter. “You want him to die.” Carlos was 21 years old. A few years earlier he had been diagnosed with AML and had undergone an allogeneic bone marrow transplant. He was cured. But now, he lay in our hospital's bone marrow transplant (BMT) unit, his body attacked by the very treatment that had given him a new life. He had disseminated graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in his liver, his lungs, his gut, and, most markedly, his skin. The BMT team had consulted us to help with Carlos' pain. GVHD skin lesions covered his body. They were raw and weeping. Although the consult was ostensibly for pain, the subtext could not have been clearer. Carlos was dying, and the primary team needed help navigating the situation. As his liver and kidney function declined, the need to address goals of care with Carlos' mother felt like it was growing more urgent by the hour. Difficult cases, like a young person dying, transform an inpatient unit. Rather than the usual hum of nurses, patient care associates, pharmacy technicians, and unit managers going about their daily work, the floor becomes enveloped in tension. Daily rhythms jump a half step ahead of the beat; conversations among close colleagues fall out of tune. “Thank goodness you're here,” nurse after nurse told my attending and me, the weight of Carlos' case hanging from their shoulders and tugging at the already puffy skin below their eyes. I was a newly minted palliative care fellow, just over a month into my training. I was developing quickly, but as can happen with too many of us, my confidence sat a few steps beyond my skills. I thought I had a firm grasp of palliative care communication skills and was eager to use them. I asked for feedback from my attendings and genuinely worked to incorporate it into my practice. At the same time, I silently bristled when they took charge of a conversation in a patient's room. Over the ensuing week, my attending and I leaned in. We spent hours at Carlos' bedside. If I squinted, I could have convinced myself that Carlos' pain was better. Every day, however, felt worse. We were not making any progress with Carlos' mother, who mostly sat silently in a corner of his room. Aside from occasionally moaning, Carlos did not speak. We learned little, if anything, about him as a person, what he enjoyed, what he feared. We treated him, and we barely knew him. Each morning, I would dutifully update my attending about the overnight events. “Creatinine is up. Bili is up.” She would shake her head in sadness. “Doesn't she get that he's dying?” one of the nurses asked us. “I feel like I'm torturing him. He's jaundiced and going into renal failure. I'm worried we're going to need to send him to the ICU. But even that won't help him. Doesn't she understand?” We convened a family meeting. It was a gorgeous August afternoon, but the old BMT unit had no windows. We sat in a cramped, dark gray family meeting room. Huddled beside Carlos' mother was everyone on the care team including the BMT attending, nurse, social worker, chaplain, and Spanish interpreter. We explained that his kidneys and liver were failing and that we worried time was short. Carlos' mother had heard it all before, from his clinicians on rounds every day, from the nursing staff tenderly caring for him at his bedside, and from us. “He's going to get better,” she told us. “I don't understand why this is happening to him. He's going to recover. He was cured of his leukemia. I have hope that his kidneys and liver are going to get better.” “I hope they get better,” I told her. I should have stopped there. Instead, in my eagerness to show my attending, and myself, I could navigate the conversation on my own, I mistakenly kept going. “But none of us think they will.” It was after this comment that she looked me right in the eyes and told me I wanted Carlos to die. I knew, even then, that she was right. In that moment, I did want Carlos to die. I could not sit with all the suffering—his, his mother's, and his care team's. I needed her to adopt our narrative—that we had done all we could to help Carlos live, and now, we would do all we could to help him die comfortably. I needed his mother to tell me she understood, to accept what was going on. I failed to recognize what now seems so clear. Of course, his mother understood what was happening. She saw it. But how could we have asked her to accept what is fundamentally unacceptable? To comprehend the incomprehensible? At its best, serious illness communication not only empathetically shares news, be it good or bad, but also allows patients and families adequate time to adjust to it. For some, this adjustment happens quickly, and in a single conversation, they can digest difficult news and move to planning the next steps in care for themselves or their loved ones. For most, they need more time to process, and we are able to advance the discussion over the course of multiple visits. My attending led the conversations from then on. She worked with the BMT attending, and they compassionately kept Carlos out of the intensive care unit. He died a few days later, late in the evening. I never saw his mother again. I could not have prevented Carlos' death. None of us could have. None of us could have spared his mother from the grief that will stay with her for the rest of her life. Over those days, though, I could have made things just a little bit less difficult for her. I could have protected her from the overcommunication that plagues our inpatient units when patients and families make decisions different from those we would make for ourselves and our loved ones. I could have acted as her guide rather than as her cross-examiner. I could have hoped that Carlos stopped suffering and, genuinely, hoped he got better although I knew it was next to impossible. Because hope is a generous collaborator, it can coexist with rising creatinines, failing livers, and fears about intubation. Even in our most difficult moments as clinicians, we can find space to hope with our patients, if we look for it. Now—years later, when I talk to a terrified, grieving family member, I recall Carlos' mother's eyes piercing mine. When they tell me they hope their loved one gets better, I know how to respond. “I hope so too.” And I do. Dr. Mikkael Sekeres: Hello and welcome to JCO's Cancer Stories: The Art of Oncology, which features essays and personal reflections from authors exploring their experience in the oncology field. I'm your host, Mikkael Sekeres. I'm professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Hematology at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at University of Miami. Today I am thrilled to be joined by Dr. Ricky Leiter from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. In this episode, we will be discussing his Art of Oncology article, “I Hope So, Too.” Our guest's disclosures will be linked in the transcript. Ricky, welcome to our podcast and thank you so much for joining us. Dr. Ricky Leiter: Thanks so much for having me. I'm really excited to be here. Dr. Mikkael Sekeres: Ricky, I absolutely adored your essay. It really explored, I think, a combination of the vulnerability we have when we're trying to take care of a patient who's dying and the interesting badlands we're placed in when we're also a trainee and aren't quite sure of our own skills and how to approach difficult situations. But before we dive into the meat of this, can you tell us a little bit about yourself? Where are you from and where did you do your training? Dr. Ricky Leiter: Sure, yeah. Thanks so much. So I grew up in Toronto, Canada, and then moved down to the States for college. I was actually a history major, so I never thought I was going to go into medicine. And long story short, here I am. I did a Post-Bac, did a year of research, and ended up at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine for med school, where I did a joint degree in medical humanities and bioethics. And that really shaped my path towards palliative care because I found this field where I said, “You know, wow, I can use these skills I'm learning in my Master's at the bedside with patients thinking about life and death and serious illness and what does that all mean in the broader context of society.” So, moved from Chicago to New York for residency, where I did residency and chief residency in internal medicine at New York Presbyterian Cornell, and then came up to the Harvard Interprofessional Palliative Care Program, where I did a clinical fellowship, then a research fellowship with Dana-Farber, and have been on faculty here since. Dr. Mikkael Sekeres: Fantastic. Any thoughts about moving back to Canada? Dr. Ricky Leiter: We talk about it every now and then. I'm really happy here. My family's really happy here. We love life in Boston, so we're certainly here for the time being. Definitely. Dr. Mikkael Sekeres: And the weather's so similar. Dr. Ricky Leiter: Yeah, I'm used to the cold. Dr. Mikkael Sekeres: I apparently did not move to Miami. I'm curious, this may be an unfair question, as you have a really broad background in humanities and ethics. Are there one or two books that you read where you think, “Gee, I'm still applying these principles,” or, “This really still resonates with me in my day to day care of patients who have cancer diagnosis”? Dr. Ricky Leiter: Oh, wow, that is a great question. There are probably too many to list. I think one is When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi, which I didn't read in my training, I read afterwards. And I think he's such a beautiful writer. The story is so poignant, and I just think Paul Kalanithi's insights into what it means to be living with a serious illness and then ultimately dying from cancer as a young man, as someone in medicine, has really left an imprint on me. Also, Arthur Kleinman. The Illness Narratives, I think, is such a big one, too. And similarly, Arthur Frank's work. I mean, just thinking about narrative and patient stories and how that impacts our clinical care, and also us as clinicians. Dr. Mikkael Sekeres: And I suspect us as writers also. Dr. Ricky Leiter: Absolutely. Dr. Mikkael Sekeres: We imprint on the books that were influential to us. Dr. Ricky Leiter: Certainly. Dr. Mikkael Sekeres: So how about your story as a writer? How long have you been writing narrative pieces? Is this something you came to later in your career, or did you catch the bug early as an undergrad or even younger? Dr. Ricky Leiter: So I caught it early, and then it went dormant for a little while and came back. As a history major, as someone who is humanities minded, I loved writing my papers in college. Like, I was one of those nerds who got, like, really, really excited about the history term paper I was writing. You know, it was difficult, but I was doing it, particularly at the last minute. But I really loved the writing process. Going through my medical training, I didn't have as much time as I wanted, and so writing was sort of on the back burner. And then actually in my research fellowship, we had a writing seminar, our department, and one of the sessions was on writing Op-eds and perspective pieces. And we had a free write session and I wrote something sort of related to my research at the time I was thinking about, and Joanne Wolfe, who was helping to lead the session, pediatric palliative care physician, she said, “You know, this is really great. Like, where are you going to publish this?” And I said, “Joanne, what do you mean? I just wrote this in this session as an exercise.” She said, “No, you should publish this.” And I did. And then the bug came right back and I thought, “Wow, this is something that I really enjoy and I can actually make a difference with it. You know, getting a message out, allowing people to think a little bit differently or more deeply about clinical cases, both in the lay press and in medical publications.: So I've essentially been doing it since and it's become a larger and larger part of my career. Dr. Mikkael Sekeres: That's absolutely wonderful, Ricky. Where is it that you publish then, outside of Art of Oncology? Dr. Ricky Leiter: So I've had a couple of pieces in the New York Times, which was really exciting. Some in STAT News on their opinion section called First Opinion, and had a few pieces in the New England Journal as well, and in the Palliative Care Literature, the Journal of Palliative Medicine. Dr. Mikkael Sekeres: Outstanding. And about palliative care issues and end of life issues, I assume? Dr. Ricky Leiter: Sort of all of the above. Palliative care, serious illness, being in medical training, I wrote a fair bit about what it was like to be on the front lines of the pandemic. Dr. Mikkael Sekeres: Yeah, that was a traumatic period of time, I think, for a lot of us. Dr. Ricky Leiter: Absolutely. Dr. Mikkael Sekeres: I'm curious about your writing process. What triggers a story and how do you face the dreaded blank page? Dr. Ricky Leiter: So it's hard to pin down exactly what triggers a story for me. I think sometimes I'm in a room and for whatever reason, there's a moment in the room and I say, “You know what? There's a story here. There's something about what's going on right now that I want to write.” And oftentimes I don't know what it is until I start writing. Maybe it's a moment or a scene and I start writing like, “What am I trying to say here? What's the message? And sometimes there isn't a deeper message. The story itself is so poignant or beautiful that I want to tell that story. Other times it's using that story. And the way I think about my writing is using small moments to ask bigger questions in medicine. So, like, what does it mean to have a good death? You know, one piece I wrote was I was thinking about that as I struggled to give someone what I hoped would be a good death, that I was thinking more broadly, what does this mean as we're thinking about the concept of a good death? Another piece I wrote was about a patient I cared for doing kidney palliative care. And she was such a character. We adored her so much and she was challenging and she would admit that. This was someone I wanted to write about. And I talked to her about it and she was honored to have her story told. Unfortunately, it came out shortly after her death. But she was such a vibrant personality. I said, “There's something here that I want to write about.” In terms of the blank page, I think it's overcoming that fear of writing and procrastination and all of that. I think I have a specific writing playlist that I put on that helps me, that I've listened to so many times. You know, no words, but I know the music and it really helps me get in the zone. And then I start writing. And I think it's one of those things where sometimes I'm like, “Oh, I really don't like how this is sounding, but I'm going to push through anyways.” as Anne Lamott's blank first draft, just to get something out there and then I can play with it and work with it. Dr. Mikkael Sekeres: Great. I love the association you have with music and getting those creative juices flowing and picking ‘le mot juste' in getting things down on a page. It's also fascinating how we sometimes forget the true privilege that we have as healthcare providers in the people we meet, the cross section of humanity and the personalities who can trigger these wonderful stories. Dr. Ricky Leiter: Absolutely. Absolutely. It's such a privilege and I think it often will go in unexpected directions and can really impact, for me certainly, my practice of medicine and how I approach the next patients or even patients years down the road. You remember those patients and those stories. Dr. Mikkael Sekeres: Right. You write with such obvious love and respect for your patients. You also write about that tenuous phase of our careers when we're not yet attendings but have finished residency and have demonstrated a modicum of competence. You know, I used to say that fellowship is really the worst of all worlds, right? As an attending, you have responsibility, but you don't have to do as much of the grunt work. As a resident, you do the grunt work, but you don't really have the responsibility. And in fellowship, you've got it all. You've got to do the grunt work, and you have the responsibility. Can you tie those two concepts together, though? How does our relationship to our patients change over the course of our careers? Dr. Ricky Leiter: Early on, if you think about the imprinting of patients as you go down the road, so many of the patients who have imprinted on me were the ones earlier in my career, before I was more formed as a clinician because of experiences like the one I wrote about in “I Hope so Too,” where the skills are forming, and sometimes where it's smooth sailing, and sometimes we're muddling through. And those cases where we feel like we're muddling through or things don't go as we hope, those are the ones that really leave an impact. And I think it's those little moments that sort of nudge your career and your skill set in different ways. I think the patients now, they still leave a mark on me, but I think it's in different ways. And I think oftentimes it's less about my skills. Although my skills are still very much developing, even, you know, almost a decade out, they impact me differently than they once did. I feel more confident in what I'm doing, and it's more about my relationship to this situation rather than the situation's impact on my skills. Dr. Mikkael Sekeres: Got it. Got it. It's interesting. I once wrote a piece with Tim Gilligan, who also spent some time at Dana Farber and is a communications expert, about how there's this kind of dualism in how we're trained. We're trained with communications courses and how to talk to patients, and it almost does the opposite. It kind of raises the flag that, “Wait a second, maybe I've been talking to people the wrong way.” And as you get more mature in your career, I almost feel as if you revert back to the way you were before medical school, when you just talked to people like they were people and didn't have a special voice for patients. Dr. Ricky Leiter: Yeah, I think that's right. And I think in palliative care, we spend so much time thinking about the communication. And this was the most challenging piece about fellowship because then- and our fellowship directors told this to us, and now we teach it to our fellows. You know that you come in, the people who choose to go into palliative care, have a love of communication, have some degree of skill coming in, and then what happens is we break those skills down and teach them a new skill set. So it gets clunkier before it gets better. And the time I was writing about in this piece was August of my fellowship year, exactly when that process was happening, where I'm trying to incorporate the new skills, I had my old way of doing things, and it's just not always aligning. And I think you're right that as the skills become embedded, as you go on throughout your career, where it feels much more natural, and then you do really connect with people as people still using the skills and the techniques that we've learned in our communication courses, but they become part of who you are as a clinician. Dr. Mikkael Sekeres: Nicely put. Your story is particularly poignant because the patient you described was dying from the very treatment that cured his leukemia. It's this, I'm going to use the term badlands again. It's this terrible badlands we sometimes find ourselves where, yes, the treatment has been successful, but at the cost of a human life. Do you think that as healthcare providers, we react differently when a patient is sick, from side effects to our recommendations, as opposed to sick from their disease? Dr. Ricky Leiter: I think we probably do. It's hard because I think every patient in every case pulls at us in different directions. And this case was Carlos, who I called him, it was such a challenging situation for so many reasons. He was young. He really couldn't communicate with us. We were talking to his mom. Like, there were so many layers to this. But I think you're right. that underlying this, there's a sense of “We did everything we could beautifully, to cure him of his disease, and now he's dying of that, and what does that mean for us as clinicians, physicians. That becomes really hard and hard to sit with and hold as we're going back every day. And I say that as the palliative care consultant. So I can only imagine for the oncology team caring for him, who had taken him through this, what that felt like. Dr. Mikkael Sekeres: Well, you describe, again, beautifully in the piece, how the nursing staff would approach you and were so relieved that you were there. And it was, you know, you got the sense- I mean, obviously, it's tragic because it's a young person who died, but you almost got the sense there was this guilt among the providers, right? Not only is it a young person dying, but dying from graft versus host disease, not from leukemia. Dr. Ricky Leiter: Absolutely. There was guilt because of what he was dying of, because of how he was dying that he was so uncomfortable and it took us so long to get his pain under control and we really couldn't get him that balance of pain control and alertness that we always strive for was pretty much impossible from the beginning. And so it was layer upon layer of distress and guilt and sadness and grief that we could just feel every day as we stepped onto the floor. Dr. Mikkael Sekeres: Yeah. I don't know if you've ever read- there's a biography of Henry Kaplan, who was considered the father of radiation therapy, where there was this incredible moment during his career when he presented at the AACR Annual Meeting the first cures for cancers, right? No one believed it. It was amazing, actually curing cancer. And then a couple years later, people started dribbling into his clinic with cancers because of the radiation therapy he gave, and he actually went into a clinical depression as a result of it. So it can affect providers at such a deep level. And I think there's this undiscussed guilt that permeates the staff when that happens. Dr. Ricky Leiter: Absolutely, absolutely. It's right there under the surface. And we rarely give ourselves the space to talk about it, right? To really sit down and say, how are we approaching this situation? How do we feel about it? And to sit with each other and acknowledge that this is horrible. It's a horrible situation. And we feel guilty and we feel sad and we feel grief about this. Dr. Mikkael Sekeres: It's been just terrific getting to know you and to read your piece, Ricky Leiternd, a we really appreciate your writing. Keep doing what you do. Dr. Ricky Leiter: Oh, thank you so much. It's a privilege to get the piece out there and particularly in JCO and to be here with you. So I really appreciate it. Dr. Mikkael Sekeres: Until next time, thank you for listening to JCO's Cancer Stories: The Art of Oncology. Don't forget to give us a rating or review and be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode. You can find all of ASCO's shows at asco.org/podcasts. The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. This is not a substitute for professional medical care and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or treatment of individual conditions. Guests on this podcast express their own opinions, experience and conclusions. Guest statements on the podcast do not express the opinions of ASCO. The mention of any product, service, organization, activity, or therapy should not be construed as an ASCO endorsement. Like, share and subscribe so you never miss an episode and leave a rating or review. Guest Bio: Dr. Ricky Leiter is from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Send us a textIn today's episode, I interview Lucy Davidson, the director of the short film "Baggage," a touching look at the weight we all carry with us in our day to day lives.Listen to hear about the inspiration for the film, the importance of creating a sonic landscape that felt believable, and some of the fun little details you can look for as you watch the film.Books mentioned in this episode include:When Breath Becomes Air by Paul KalanithiThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca SklootFilms mentioned in this episode include:"Baggage" directed by Lucy Davidson"Speak to Me" by Pink Floyd (50th Anniversary Music Video)Memoir of a Snail directed by Adam ElliotMouse Hunt directed by Gore VerbinskiRatatouille directed by Brad Bird and Jan PinkavaPortrait of a Lady on Fire directed by Celine SciammaBabe: Pig in the City directed by George MillerMad Max directed by George MillerHappy Feet directed by George MillerMuppets From Space directed by Timothy Hill"Wander to Wonder" directed by Nina Gantz"In the Shadows of the Cypress" directed by Hossein Molayemi and Shirin Sohani"Beautiful Men" directed by Nicolas KeppensYou can follow Lucy on Instagram @lucy_maree_davidson and check out her film playing at SXSW this week!
Kelly talks with New York Times bestselling author Gayle Forman about her new book, about the afterlife, and about the growth and evolution of YA as a category. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. To get even more YA news and recommendations, sign up for our What's Up in YA newsletter! A new year means a new Read Harder Challenge! Join us as we make our way through 24 tasks meant to expand our reading horizons. To get recommendations for each task, sign up for the Read Harder newsletter. All Access subscribers get even more recommendations plus community features, where you can connect with like-minded readers in a cozy and supportive corner of the internet. You can become an All Access member starting at $6 per month or $60 per year to get unlimited access to all members-only content in 20+ newsletters, community features, and the warm fuzzies of knowing you are supporting independent media. To join, visit bookriot.com/readharder. This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Books Discussed After Life by Gayle Forman Our Town by Thornton Wilder Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin The Everafter by Amy Huntley The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold Not Nothing by Gayle Forman How to Read a Book by Monica Wood Lamar Giles on Hey YA When The World Tips Over by Jandy Nelson On a Wing and a Tear by Cynthia Leitich Smith One Day by David Nicholls Wicked by Gregory Maguire We Need Diverse Books Shoutouts to Lexapro and Zoloft Gayle emailed the following additional recommendations from our segment on books about/related to the afterlife: The In Between by Hadley Vlahos, Briefly Perfectly Human by Alua Arthur, When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalinthi, and Atul Gawande's Being Mortal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Chapter 1:Summary of When Breath Becomes Air"When Breath Becomes Air" is a memoir by Paul Kalanithi, published posthumously in 2016. It chronicles Kalanithi's life and experience as a neurosurgeon faced with terminal lung cancer at the age of 36. The book is divided into two main sections: the first part focuses on his journey through medical education and his development as a neurosurgeon, while the second part delves into his confrontation with his own mortality and his role reversal from physician to patient.Kalanithi eloquently explores profound questions about the relationship between life, death, and identity, and how these elements are irrevocably altered by the inevitable approach of death. The narrative begins with Kalanithi's literary and philosophical interests which gradually evolve into a passion for medicine, drawn by its unique combination of critical thinking, human connection, and ethical challenges.Throughout his career, Kalanithi is dually influenced by the highs of saving lives and the emotional toll of losing patients. His perspective takes a dramatic turn when he is diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. Facing his diminishing future, Kalanithi is forced to grapple with what it means to truly live a meaningful life and how to make the most of the time he has left.In the wake of his diagnosis, he reflects on his relationships, particularly with his wife, Lucy, and his aspirations for their future together, including the discussion about having a child. Deciding to have a daughter, even as he battled with his health, reinforced his faith in the importance of hope and legacy.The book ends with an emotional and philosophical reflection on the process of dying, with a poignant epilogue written by his wife following his death in March 2015. "When Breath Becomes Air" is a touching, deeply personal exploration of what it means to face death but also how defining life through the lens of death can profoundly reshape our understanding of purpose and identity. It's a meditation on the intersection of the professional and the personal, the scientific and the existential, providing readers with insights into both the fragility and resilience of the human spirit.Chapter 2:The Theme of When Breath Becomes Air"When Breath Becomes Air" is a profound and deeply moving memoir by Paul Kalanithi, a neurosurgeon who faced a terminal cancer diagnosis at the pinnacle of his career and just as he was starting his own family. The book is an introspective journey that provides a unique insight into the intersections of life, death, and purpose. Here are some key plot points, character development, and thematic ideas explored in the book: Key Plot Points:1. Career and Passion: Kalanithi excels in literature and biology. His insatiable quest for understanding the meaning of life leads him to study English literature and human biology. Later, he pursues a degree in medicine, specializing in neurosurgery and neuroscience.2. Diagnosis: At the peak of his career, Kalanithi is diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. This abrupt transition from a doctor to a patient makes him confront the realities of what it means to face death.3. Reflection and Writing: As his health declines, Kalanithi reflects on his life, beliefs, and the values that define him. He begins to write "When Breath Becomes Air," aiming to share his unique perspective on facing mortality.4. Family and Fatherhood: Amid his illness, Kalanithi's relationship with his wife, Lucy, undergoes strain but also deepening growth. They decide to have a child, a testament to their hope and love, even in the face of death.5. Death: Kalanithi dies at the age of 37, leaving behind his manuscript, which is later completed by his wife Lucy. Character Development:- Paul Kalanithi: Throughout the memoir, Kalanithi evolves from a curious...
Autism is an expansive spectrum, and its diagnosis and treatment protocols are as equally widespread. To help us gain a better understanding of autism and how anesthesia works with autistic patients, we are joined today by Dental Anesthesiologist, Dr. Jonathan Bacon. Dr. Bacon begins by walking us through the current state of autism in America, how autism is diagnosed, why it's important to pay attention to the language that we use regarding autism, and the comorbidities and physiological differences across the autism spectrum to be aware of. Then, our guest explains how he vets his patients' strengths and weaknesses, how he preps and treats patients with autism, noteworthy case studies from his personal experience, and how anesthesia plays out differently for autistic patients versus others. To end, we learn about some of Dr. Bacon's favorite reads, and he shares his key takeaways for oral professionals to remember. Key Points From This Episode:Dr. Jonathan Bacon describes the state of autism in the United States. How autism is diagnosed. Why language matters, and assessing what needs to change in how we speak about autism. Autism comorbidities to be aware of; physiological differences across the spectrum. How Dr. Bacon, as an anesthesiologist, preps and treats his autistic patients. Key takeaways for oral professionals about their autistic patients. When Breath Becomes Air, Endurance, On Writing, and The Way of the Superior Man.Quotes:“Most recently, in 2020, they reported [that] 1 in 36 people had autism in the United States. So, this is certainly something that we're going to see, and we're going to see more of it throughout our practice and throughout our careers.” — Dr. Jonathan Bacon [0:02:35]“With patients that are a little bit more combative, even having them come into the office environment for a consult could be challenging for them. So [first], I'll pick up the phone and have a conversation with Mom.” — Dr. Jonathan Bacon [0:25:57]“It's a lot less stressful day for me as the anesthesia provider if the patient is a lot more calm and controllable.” — Dr. Jonathan Bacon [0:26:38]“Very similar to the spectrum of autism, you're going to see a huge spectrum in the way that they respond to certain medications.” — Dr. Jonathan Bacon [0:37:28]“A lot of outside-the-box thinking and flexibility on our part can go a long way.” — Dr. Jonathan Bacon [0:41:12]“Never underestimate how much a nonverbal individual understands – most people can understand and comprehend a lot more than they can verbally express.” — Dr. Jonathan Bacon [0:43:51]Links Mentioned in Today's Episode:Dr. Jonathan Bacon Email — jpbacondds@gmail.com Just Wisdom Teeth — justwisdomteethdc.com/ ADDM Network — cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/addm.html When Breath Becomes Air — amazon.com/When-Breath-Becomes-Paul-Kalanithi/dp/081298840X Everyday Oral Surgery Website — everydayoralsurgery.com/ Everyday Oral Surgery on Instagram — instagram.com/everydayoralsurgery/ Everyday Oral Surgery on Facebook — facebook.com/EverydayOralSurgery/Dr. Grant Stucki Email — grantstucki@gmail.comDr. Grant Stucki Phone — 720-441-6059
Death is understandably difficult – and for some people, nearly impossible – to conceive of and talk about. Especially our own. It may seem like there's nothing we can do to prepare for our last moments on earth, but several innovative panelists at the 2023 Aspen Ideas Festival would disagree. Alua Arthur is a “death doula,” who helps people find peace with themselves when nearing the end of their life. A former lawyer, she founded the organization Going With Grace to help redefine the end-of-life experience. Dan Diaz was thrust into advocacy when his wife, Brittany Maynard, was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in 2014 at age 29. Maynard wanted control over how she died, and the couple moved to Oregon for the last months of her life, where medical aid in dying was legal. Diaz has been pushing to expand legalization of medical aid in dying ever since, and has helped pass legislation in several states since Brittany's death. Designer Katrina Spade invented a way to turn humans into compost after life, and founded the company Recompose. Human composting is now legal in five states, thanks to efforts led by Recompose. Stanford medical professor and health care culture advocate Dr. Lucy Kalanithi moderates the conversation. Kalanithi's husband Paul Kalanithi died of cancer in 2015, after writing the memoir “When Breath Becomes Air.” aspenideas.org
Marcy Langlois was born with a physical deformity, which required 23 surgical procedures before the age of 18, and was involved in a devastating, life-changing accident at the age of 17. She shares her story and opens up about the ways in which she has been able to heal and to focus on life's infinite possibility. Look for her podcast Living Beyond Limits.This episode is sponsored by Paul Kalanithi's bestselling memoir When Breath Becomes Air, available wherever books are sold. For more go to www.prh.com/BREATHMore about Marcy: www.MarcyLanglois.comWAYS TO HELP THE MIHH PODCASTSubscribe via iTunes and leave a review. It costs nothing. https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/mental-illness-happy-hour/id427377900?mt=2Spread the word via social media. It costs nothing.Our website is www.mentalpod.com our FB is www.Facebook.com/mentalpod and our Twitter and Instagram are both @Mentalpod Become a much-needed Patreon monthly-donor (with occasional rewards) for as little as $1/month at www.Patreon.com/mentalpod Become a one-time or monthly donor via PayPal at https://mentalpod.com/donateYou can also donate via Zelle (make payment to mentalpod@gmail.com) To donate via Venmo make payment to @Mentalpod Try Our Sponsor's Products/ServicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Mary are discussing: Bookish Moments: fun new hobbies and maybe not having a bookish moment Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately Deep Dive: our love for all things memoir The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site) . . . . . 1:39 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week 8:06 - Our Current Reads 8:14 - Bride by Ali Hazelwood (Mary) 10:29 - Wolfsong by T.J. Klune 11:58 - Unhinged by Vera Valentine 12:29 - Renegades by Marissa Meyer (Kaytee) 12:40 - Cinder by Marissa Meyer 15:47 - The Extraordinaries by T.J. Klune 16:47 - Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera (Mary) 19:55 - An Inconvenient Cop by Edwin Raymond (Kaytee) 20:03 - Booktenders 24:51 - A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall (Mary) 28:26 - @ginnyreadsandwrites on Instagram 28:44 - Fairyloot 29:07 - Pango Books 30:16 - Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson 30:34 - Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross 31:53 - A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan (Kaytee) 32:10 - Betty by Tiffany McDaniel 35:29 - Deep Dive: Our Love For Memoirs 36:10 - Sarah's Bookshelves 39:49 - The Black Count by Tom Reiss 41:43 - My Life in France by Julia Child 42:30 - Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me by Mindy Kaling 42:32 - Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling 42:46 - Bossypants by Tina Fey 42:51 - Spare by Prince Harry 43:12 - Becoming by Michelle Obama 43:42 - Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe 43:47 - I Have Something to Tell You by Chasten Buttigieg 44:04 - I Have Something to Tell You by Chasten Buttigieg (young readers' edition) 44:59 - Waypoints by Sam Heughan 45:31 - Finding Me by Viola Davis 46:20 - As You Wish by Cary Elwes 46:58 - Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes 47:50 - Great with Child: Letters to a Young Mother by Beth Ann Fennelly 47:55 - Heating and Cooling by Beth Ann Fennelly 48:06 - Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan 48:10 - These Precious Days by Ann Patchett 49:04 - Soil by Camille T. Dungy 49:15 - An Exact Replica of A Figment of My Imagination by Elizabeth McCracken 50:29 - Dancing at the Pity Party by Tyler Feder 50:37 - What Looks Like Bravery by Laurel Braitman 50:43 - After This by Claire Bidwell Smith (amazon link) 50:58 - Tragedy Plus Time by Adam Cayton-Holland 51:15 - Maybe You Should Talk To Someone by Lori Gottleib 51:30 - When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi 51:53 - A Woman in the Polar Night by Christiane Ritter 52:02 - At Home in the World by Tsh Oxenreider 52:52 - Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver 53:05 - The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green 53:12 - A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg 53:43 - The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton 53:45 - Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson 53:48 - The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore 54:03 - Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer 54:15 - I Take My Coffee Black by Tyler Merritt 55:17 - Meet Us At The Fountain 55:21 - I wish to press the Ember Quartet series, starting with Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir. (Mary) 55:30 - Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir 56:52 - A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas 56:53 - Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros 57:22 - Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros 58:38 - My wish is for more bookish board games. (Kaytee) 58:47 - By the Book game Support Us: Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. April's IPL comes to us from A Room Of One's Own in Madison Wisconsin! Trope Thursday with Kaytee and Bunmi - a behind the scenes peek into the publishing industry All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the special insights of an independent bookseller The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts Connect With Us: The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!
Hospice Navigation: The Compassionate Guide to End-of-Life Care Death is scary. No one wants to talk about it, and most of us aren't ready when it comes. It feels like the medical profession has made it their mission to delay the end of life, no matter the cost of pain and suffering. You have the right to go out on your terms, by choosing not to see further aggressive treatments. Hospice is an underutilized resource paid for by insurance and available in all 50 states and DC. When dealing with a serious illness, having access to the right resources and guidance can make all the difference. Hospice Navigation Services is here to offer just that – a compassionate hand to hold and a reliable compass to help navigate this challenging journey. Who can benefit from a Hospice Navigation Services session? If you're: dealing with a serious illness a caregiver who needs information about hospice care for someone you love needing education about end-of-life care a patient or caregiver with questions about your current hospice care needing to discuss advance care planning Here's what Hospice Navigation Services has to offer: private, personalized guidance expert Hospice Navigators easy online booking of your Hospice Navigation Session on The Heart of Hospice website a choice of a FREE 30-minute Navigation Session or a 60-minute Navigation Session a safe space for questions about end-of-life care comprehensive information about how to get the best out of your hospice care "When Breath Becomes Air": https://amzn.to/48piKzb Helen's interview on the Happy Healthy Caregiver Podcast (Ep. 99): https://happyhealthycaregiver.com/podcast/helen-bauer/ Connect to learn more: Website: https://www.theheartofhospice.com/services FB: @TheHeartofHospice IG: @TheHeartofHospice X: @TheHeartHospice Episode Transcript: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1freQMIOXYV90KiI8u16JmgDqSmfU3eWN/view?usp=sharing As an Amazon Associate, I earn commissions from qualifying purchases. For more information about True North Disability Planning you can find us here: Web: https://truenorthdisabilityplanning.com/ Waypoints - https://waypoints.substack.com/ Facebook: @TrueNorthDisabilityPlanning X (Twitter): @NeedsNavigator --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/abcs-disability-planning/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/abcs-disability-planning/support
When Kathy Giusti was told she had multiple myeloma one fateful day in 1996, she was 37 and in the midst of a successful rising career. She was the mother of a one-year-old baby with plans to have a second child. The disease had few treatments and she was given three years to live. Instead of sitting back, however, Kathy took action to create her own hope. That meant not only conducting research on treatments where there was none, but doing it with unprecedented speed and precision. She founded the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation and became its first CEO. In the two decades since, the foundation has spearheaded a clinical network that has conducted nearly 100 trials and launched more than 150 new drugs, drastically increasing the life expectancy of patients from 3 to 10 years. For her work, she has been included among Fortune Magazine's list of the World's 50 Greatest Leaders and TIME Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the world. Kathy is also the author of the 2024 book Fatal to Fearless, which helps cancer patients understand and navigate their own care. Over the course of our conversation, Kathy describes her life before and after her diagnosis of multiple myeloma, how and why she took initiative to create new treatments for her own disease, what happened after she received a new diagnosis of breast cancer in 2022, and how all patients can better make the healthcare system work for them.In this episode, we discuss: 3:00 - Kathy's life before she was diagnosed with cancer4:56 - What is multiple myeloma? 8:58 - Kathy's reaction upon learning her diagnosis, both intellectually and emotionally 18:36 - How Kathy navigated the experience of concurrently going through IVF and cancer treatment22:30 - The sources of support that Kathy leaned on throughout her cancer journey24:40 - How Kathy and her sister started the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation 34:53 - How the treatment landscape for multiple myeloma has changed since Kathy was diagnosed in 199641:00 - A glossary of medical terms that have been discussed in this episode44:33 - The current status of Kathy's multiple myeloma 50:39 - Kathy's key advice for both cancer patients and health care professionals for navigating cancer treatment Kathy Guisti is the author of From Fatal of Fearless: 12 Steps to Beating Cancer in a Broken Medical System (2024).In this episode we discuss the book When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi, and the essay The Median is Not the Message by Jay Gould, PhD, and our past episode The Physician Who Cured Himself (with Dr. David Fajgenbaum).Visit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our show, available for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Copyright The Doctor's Art Podcast 2024
This week, Logan and Mary share their favorite books of all time. From personal to professional, they share their top reads over the years and you might just find a new favorite to add to your reading list. SHOW NOTES: In no particular order, here are all the books/series that we mentioned: Mary's Reading List: 1. 2-second lean 2. Feeling Good 3. Harry Potter series 4. The Lunar Chronicles 5. Near Eat Alone 6. The Hiding Place 7. The First Time Manager 8. Never Split the Difference 9. Set Boundaries, Find Peace Treating People Well Logan's Reading List: 1. Profit First 2. 4-Hour Workweek 3. Harry Potter Series 4. Mysteries 1. Nancy Drew Series 2. Robert Galbraith (author) 3. Agatha Christie (author) 4. Jo Nesbo (author) 5. Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club Series 5. 10% Happier by Dan Harris 6. The Defining Decade: Why your twenties matter and how to make the most of them 7. The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune 8. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi 9. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab 10. Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily & Amelia Naoski Rewatch the replays from the 2023 Better Events Conference: https://bettereventspod.com/conference Buy Us a Coffee Link: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/bettereventspod THANKS FOR THE LOVE! Love this podcast? Please share with your event friends, tag us, and leave a review! Leave us a rating on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/04ivq77TMgF5HhJHJOMe1V Leave us a review on Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/better-events/id1561944117 —— FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: @bettereventspod @loganstrategygroup_events (Logan) @epeventsllc (Mary)
It's easy for academics and critics to dismiss the Stoics as depressing or dark. They're not wrong, exactly, because it's true: There are some dark and depressing passages in Meditations. Seneca is not always cheerful. Both writers seem to dwell on death, they paint life as something that can be painful and tragic, they speak of Fortune as something not to be trusted—that the ground beneath your feet can shift in a moment, shattering everything around you.But what's unfair about this criticism, insensitive even, is that it totally ignores the context and the experience of these men—of all the Stoics. Marcus Aurelius buried six of his children. Six! Seneca lost a child and was exiled to a distant island on trumped up charges all at once. Can you imagine what that must have been like for them?“Grief from the loss of a child is not a process,” a mother is quoted as saying in the fascinating book Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe which examines the opioid crisis. “It's a lifelong weight upon one's soul.” Marcus Aurelius and Seneca bore that weight—of course it shaped what they wrote and thought. There was an exchange between Marcus and his teacher Fronto about how he felt “suffering anguish” in his bones from the loss of Fronto's grandchild. When we interviewed the philosopher and translator Martha Nussbaum on the Daily Stoic podcast, she spoke quite movingly about the loss of her own daughter. She pointed out that Cicero, a philosopher who wrote extensively on the Stoics and buried his daughter Tullia, was transformed by grief. It changed him. How could it not have?One book on this topic we've recommended over the years has been Death Be Not Proud by John Gunter, who was similarly trying to make sense of the short but inspiring life of his son Johnny. Paul Kalanithi's book When Breath Becomes Air is also worth reading. And Seneca's writings on death have been collected in an interesting edition called How To Die.-✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail
Join Ned Buskirk in conversation with Dr. Lucy Kalanithi, Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at Stanford University & the widow of Dr. Paul Kalanithi, author of the #1 New York Times-bestselling memoir When Breath Becomes Air, while they talk about her ongoing relationship to Paul, his impact/presence in her life still, & parenting their daughter in the wake of his death.dr. lucy kalanithi'swebsite: https://lucykalanithi.com/twitter: https://twitter.com/rocketgirlmdpodcast GRAVITY: https://lucykalanithi.com/podcastdr. lucy kalanithi wants you to supportBe A Hero: https://beaherofund.com/Camp Kesem: https://www.kesem.org/Caring Across Generations: https://caringacross.org/Produced by Nick JainaSoundscaping by Nick Jaina”YG2D Podcast Theme Song” by Nick JainaTHIS PODCAST IS MADE POSSIBLE WITH SUPPORT FROM LISTENERS LIKE YOU.Become a podcast patron now at https://www.patreon.com/YG2D.
Caregiver, physician, wife, and griever - Dr. Lucy Kalanithi shares her remarkable journey with her husband Dr. Paul Kalanithi, author of When Breath Becomes Air. Lucy's experience with her terminally-ill husband and his death has shaped how she approaches patient care and thinks about human suffering. Dr. Kalanithi is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha national medical honor society and an honoree of Mass General Cancer Center's “the one hundred” and Stanford's Medical Staff Awards. She has implemented novel healthcare delivery models in primary care, hospitals and health systems, and served on leadership boards for TEDMED, the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care and the American College of Physicians. She has appeared on stage at TEDMED, on NPR, PBS Newshour, and Yahoo News with Katie Couric. Her award-winning podcast, Gravity, explores narratives of suffering. Connect with Dr. Lucy Kalanithi on lucykalanithi. Find Dr. Lucy Kalanithi on X (formerly Twitter) Read Ady Barkan's article “I'm Dying. Here's What I Refuse to Accept with Serenity” in The Nation here. If you have questions about hospice care or need to troubleshoot the care you're already receiving, book a session with an expert Hospice Navigator at theheartofhospice.com. Need a dynamic speaker for your event or conference? Book podcast host Helen Bauer to speak by sending an email to helen@theheartofhospice.com. Find more podcast episodes from The Heart of Hospice at The Heart of Hospice Podcast (theheartofhospice.com) Follow The Heart of Hospice on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Connect with The Heart of Hospice podcast on The Whole Care Network, along with a host of other caregiving podcasts by clicking here.
In this episode, we explore the profound impact of empathy in the life of Dr. Paul Kalanithi, author of "When Breath Becomes Air." We'll delve into how his journey as a neurosurgeon and his battle with terminal illness bring powerful insights into the human condition and the essence of empathy. Key takeaways include: ✅ The transformative power of empathy in healthcare. ✅ Balancing medical knowledge with human understanding. ✅ The role of empathy in facing life's ultimate challenges. ✅ How personal suffering can deepen our capacity for empathy. ✅ Paul Kalanithi's enduring legacy through his words and actions.
Welcome to our Christmas Eve Lit for Christmas party! In this episode, Marty and his friend and new cohost and co-drunk, Andrea, talk about the meaning of life, joy, and Christmas as they discuss Paul Kalanithi's When Breath Becomes Air. It's an episode that's sure to appreciate your loved ones this holiday season. BONUS POINTS: Take a shot anytime you hear a terrible dad joke! WARNING: THERE ARE A LOT OF THEM! GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PRESENT: The Brain Cocktail (recipe adapted from cookingchanneltv.com) Ingredients: 1 1/2 shots of peach schnapps (substitute peach juice for virgin version) 1 1/2 shots of Bailey's Irish Cream (substitute Bailey's Coffee Creamer for virgin version) Dash of grenadine Directions: Pour peach schnapps in a glass. Slowly add Bailey's Irish Cream, allowing it to clot. Slowly drizzle with a dash of grenadine on top. GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PRESENT NONALCOHOLIC ALTERNATIVE: Use ingredients and follow above directions, making the substitutions listed above. YOUR HOSTS Marty has a Master's in fiction writing, MFA in poetry writing, and teaches in the English Department at Northern Michigan University in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. He served two terms at Poet Laureate of the Upper Peninsula, and has published the poetry collection The Mysteries of the Rosary from Mayapple Press. For more of Marty's thoughts and writing visit his blog Saint Marty saintmarty-marty.blogspot.com) or listen to his other podcast Confessions of Saint Marty, also on Anchor.fm. Marty is a writer, blogger, wine sipper, easy drunk, and poetry obsessor ho puts his Christmas tree up in mid-October and refuses to take it down until the snow starts melting. Andrea has had several careers and has a hard time labeling herself. She has an art degree from Michigan State and considers herself an anti-social hockey mom, timid badass, and defender of public resources. She currently works at Peter White Public Library as the hype girl. Music for this episode: "Jingle Bells Jazzy Style" by Julius H, used courtesy of Pixabay. "A Christmas Treat" by Magic-828, used courtesy of Pixabay. Other music in the episode: McLachlan, Sarah. "In the Bleak Midwinter." Wintersong by Sarah McLachlan. Arista, 2006. A Christmas Carol sound clips from: The Campbell Theater 1939 radio production of A Christmas Carol, narrated by Orson Welles and starring Lionel Barrymore. This month's Christmas lit: Kalanithi, Paul. When Breath Becomes Air. Vintage, 2017.
Listen to ASCO's Journal of Clinical Oncology essay, “Gosses and the Dalmatian Puppy” by Dr. Zvi Symon, Senior Consultant at the Sheba Medical Center in Israel. The essay is followed by an interview with Symon and host Dr. Lidia Schapira. Symon reflects on an ancient Jewish tradition while seeking to palliate a dying patient. TRANSCRIPT Narrator: Gosses and the Dalmatian Puppy, by Zvi Symon, MD A few months ago, I was paged to see a newly diagnosed patient in the hospital with a malignant trachea-esophageal fistula to consider palliative radiotherapy. Despite the 60-minute delay that had already accumulated in my clinic, I hurried past the folks in my waiting room as they scowled their dismay, and promised to return quickly. My new consult was a 70-year-old man who had lost 30 kg over the past few months. He was a heavy smoker with chronic bronchitis and a squamous cell carcinoma of the upper esophagus gnawing into the cartilage of the upper airway. The surgeons ruled out any hope for surgical remediation. The gastroenterologist attempted to insert a stent but could not get past the tumor's stricture, so radiation therapy became the last option. On the edge of the bed near the hospital room's window sat Vladimir, a ghost of a man, coughing intermittently with a constant drool of saliva dripping into a stainless steel bowl that he held in his lap. I introduced myself, but he hardly acknowledged my presence, consumed by his own discomfort. I turned to his pleasant, gray-haired wife sitting in the blue armchair next to his bed. Before proceeding, I asked her what he knew about his condition, and she referred the question to him in Russian. Vladimir closed his eyes, sighed heavily and said softly: “I don't feel well and… cannot eat.” His wife watched me as a sad smile played on her lips, and she struggled not to cry. I paused for a moment, remembering my full outpatient waiting room, but wanting to give his story justice. I turned to Vladimir's wife. “Tell me a bit about Vladimir, what did he do before he became ill?” I drew up a chair and sat closer and she sighed. “He worked as a builder. When the family emigrated to live here in Israel, his mother died soon after. He became deeply depressed and took to the bottle, spending most of the day sitting on the porch, drinking vodka, and chain smoking. A few years ago, I bought him a cute clumsy Dalmatian puppy who adored him, romping around happily, licking his hands, and jumping all over him. He developed a special relationship with the dog, stopped drinking and took the dog each day for a long walk—well, perhaps the dog took him for a walk.” A smile flickered across her face briefly. “Unfortunately, the dog died a few months ago and he sank back into a depression, stopped eating, and has lost weight.” I was touched and saw the tears in her eyes flowing freely. “Do you have any family, perhaps children you would like to call to perhaps join us for the discussion?” I asked. “We have two grown-up sons. One is currently ill with COVID and cannot come, and the other son also suffers from major depression: He has a hysterical paralysis and does not leave the house. I work as a cashier in the supermarket and am the only breadwinner for my sick son and husband.” I wondered if she had any idea of his prognosis and started a discussion regarding treatment options. Vladmir's wife told me that she had heard that radiation therapy could help. And while I would have loved to have played the role of knight in shining armor, saving him from the ravages of his cancer with radiotherapy, the reality is that the intervention is controversial in the treatment of trachea-esophageal fistula. Should I raise the possibility of not doing the treatment? How would it be received? What could I offer in lieu? Was this an opportunity for a being and not doing discussion, one that talks about dignity and love and communication, about having the chance to say goodbye forever and even to confess and bless and confide? Patients and family are so often focused on the battle against the disease; they are loath to any suggestion of not doing, despite the minimal odds for a helpful treatment. I saw Vladimir's wife struggle to control her tears. She seemed so vulnerable and carried so much on her shoulders. I wondered if a hospice discussion, at that moment, would add to her huge burden. There was also a part of me that also debated, selfishly, if I should launch into a lengthy end-of life discussion with the angry waiting patients outside my clinic door? So often, we turn to our treatment armamentarium to avoid these deeply painful and complex discussions surrounding the end of life, particularly with patients we barely know. I breathed deeply, calmed myself and decided to keep it simple and avoid the dilemma. I gently explained that I could not guarantee good results, but radiation therapy may improve his pain and perhaps allow him to eat and drink. It was the answer she was looking for, though I grimaced as I wondered if it was the answer I should have provided. She seemed relieved and encouraged Vladimir to sign consent. Vladimir arrived at the computed tomography (CT) simulation suite sitting bent forward on the stretcher, drooling into the bowl between his legs. The radiation therapists, already running behind schedule, looked at each other, as if wondering if this was another futile heroic effort. “I know what you are thinking,” I said to them. “But perhaps we can help. Let me tell you something about Vladimir, he had a Dalmatian puppy he loved, who took him out of his home for a walk every day after years of deep depression.” Vladimir was contorted in pain, and the attempt to transfer him from the stretcher to the CT couch seemed impossible. All eyes turned to me with a perhaps this is too much look. Suddenly, Ilan, a young Russian-speaking radiation technologist who had recently joined the department, had an idea. “Vladimir, rest a few minutes. You know, I too have a Dalmatian, let me show you a picture.” The deep lines on Vladimir's face faded into a broad smile as he took Ilan's cellphone to see the picture of the dog. From the look on his face, he seemed to be transported far from the simulation suite, and I imagined him romping with his Dalmatian puppy in a sun-swept meadow with gurgling streams and lush green grass and watched as Ilan then slid him effortlessly onto the couch of the scanner. The scan was completed, Vladimir returned to the ward, and I retreated to my workroom to complete the contouring of the structures for the radiotherapy plan. It was a nasty 12-cm mass involving the full circumference of the upper esophagus and eroded into the trachea, almost obstructing the left lung. The dosimetrist calculated a conformal treatment plan, and as I approved it, I uttered a little prayer that this would make him more comfortable. Suddenly, Ilan rushed in, hair tousled, pale and agitated, and eyes red. We were too late. On returning to the inpatient ward, Vladimir experienced a massive aspiration and died less than half an hour after we had scanned him. Ilan was terribly upset. As a young therapist, this was perhaps his first patient who died so quickly and unexpectedly. I tried to comfort him. “I know it hurts, but nothing we could have done would have changed what happened. Did you see his face after you mentioned his puppy and showed him the photo of yours? We did our best for him.” After Ilan left my room, I reflected on the day's events. Was Vladimir what the rabbis refer to as a “Gosses?”2 (Gosses is a Hebrew word meaning a moribund patient). And if that was the case, was I wrong to even transport him from his room? When death is imminent in hours or days, Jewish religious law defines a state of Gosses in which it is forbidden to touch or move a moribund patient in case this could hasten death. The guttural rattle of a dying patient, unable to clear secretions, indicating death within hours or days, reminded the rabbis of the sound of bubbling when stirring the food in the cauldron. This onomatopoeia, in addition to a didactive narrative identifying the significance of performing an action which potentially changes the natural course of events, resulted in the analogy that moving a terminally ill patient which may hasten death is like stirring the food in the cauldron which may hasten the cooking on Sabbath, hence the term Gosses. The ancient rabbinic sages from the beginning of the first millenium drew an additional analogy between touching a Gosses and touching a dripping candle at the end of its wick which may hasten quenching of the light. Another aspect of the law of Gosses forbids performing any act which may prolong suffering and delay a merciful death. Thus, moving a patient to receive a futile treatment would also be forbidden under law of Gosses. 2000 years later, the notion that we should neither delay nor accelerate death was front of mind formeas I reflected on my treatment of Vladimir. I wondered if the ancient rabbis incorporated into their moral discussion the difficulty of stopping the roller coaster of trying to do more and more to help the patient. How about when the treatment itself fell into a gray area of effectiveness? What advice would they have given a physician with competing demands on his time and a waiting room full of outpatients who demanded his attention? In retrospect, the painful journey of Vladimir down to the simulator may have hastened his massive aspiration and would have been best avoided. In that sense, the Gosses may have been violated. But it also allowed him and Ilan to meet and share wonderful memories of a Dalmatian puppy which made him smile and forget his pain, even for a few precious moments. Dr. Lidia Schapira: Hello and welcome to JCO's Cancer Stories: The Art of Oncology, which features essays and personal reflections from authors exploring their experience in the field of oncology. I'm your host, Dr. Lidia Schapira, Associate Editor for Art of Oncology and a professor of medicine at Stanford University. Today, we are joined by Dr. Zvi Symon, until recently Chair of Radiation Oncology and currently Senior Consultant in the Department and Director of the National School of Radiotherapy at the Sheba Medical Center in Israel and Clinical professor of Oncology at Tel Aviv University Medical School. In this episode, we will be discussing his Art of Oncology article, “Gosses and the Dalmatian Puppy.” Our guest disclosures will be linked in the transcript. Zvi, welcome to our podcast and thank you for joining us. Dr. Zvi Symon: Thank you, Lidia. I'm very happy to be here. Dr. Lidia Schapira: To start, I'd like to ask authors to tell us what they're reading or perhaps what they've enjoyed reading and would like to recommend to fellow listeners. Dr. Zvi Symon: Okay, so it's been a bit of a stressful time reading, but I may mention some books I've read in the last few months. I've been reading memoirs. One that I particularly found very touching was Paul Kalanithi's, When Breath Becomes Air. As a physician who had cancer himself and his struggle with his transition from being a consultant neurosurgeon to being a terminal lung cancer patient, I think it's an amazing and beautifully written and touching book. Dr. Lidia Schapira: It's a beautiful book. It's evocative and fresh. And you're absolutely right - we're completely in sympathy with and empathic with his amazing desire to live life till the last moment, right? It's just beautiful. Dr. Zvi Symon: It's really beautiful. And I think that memoirs is a very powerful genre for me. And another book that I enjoyed very much is Jan Morris' Conundrum, which is a story of a person who made a transition from male to female over 10 years. She was actually a member of the British team that climbed Everest and a journalist in The Times. It's a beautiful book describing what she actually felt inside and how she went through the medical process as well, of her sex change. And it's also beautiful. Dr. Lidia Schapira: Thank you for that. I haven't read it, but I will add it to my lovely list here. Tell me a little bit about writing and what that means for you. Are you somebody who has been writing throughout your career, or was this a story that sort of popped for you, that just needed to be told? Dr. Zvi Symon: Right. I think it goes back to when I was a high school student where my Math teacher told my parents, "Your son shouldn't do medicine. He should study English literature." My parents were devastated by that statement because my father was a physician and my mother's family were all physicians, and they were very angry at the time. And I was kind of a writer in high school, and then I kind of left it through my medical career. And now, as I have sort of finished my stint as the chair of the department and I have a bit more time on my hands, I've sort of tried my hand at getting back to writing. I needed to read a lot in order to do that. So I was reading genres. I think maybe some of the initial versions of this piece were written sort of more as a memoir, rather than an article for the Art of Oncology. And I think you guys helped me a lot. Dr. Lidia Schapira: I'm so glad to hear that we helped. Sometimes editors aren't particularly helpful in the views of authors, but I'm glad you feel differently. So let's talk a little bit about the creative process and sort of bringing in all of these themes that you did here. And back to your prior comment that this is in the memoir genre. You have a very interesting philosophical discussion of what a Gosses is and sort of the ethical moral conflict when a patient is extremely vulnerable, instead of recognizing when perhaps all that you need to do, or perhaps what you need to do is to be present instead of trying to fix or intervene. And I loved how you made us all really suffer with you, as you're debating this internally. Can you talk a little bit about that part of the story? Dr. Zvi Symon: Yes, I think just to put it into context, in my training in internal medicine, I worked in a hospital where hospice care was part of the rotation in internal medicine. I spent three months in the hospice, and at night, when we were on call, we were in charge of the ICU and the hospice. So you would be called to treat a patient in pulmonary edema and with CPAP, or intubate him or an acute MI, and then you would be called to a dying patient in the hospice. And the transition was initially very difficult for me. I actually felt my feet would not carry me to the hospice, and I didn't want to go there, and I had to kind of force myself. But after some time, I realized that it's actually much easier to treat pulmonary edema to than be able to sit and listen and talk to a dying patient. But the fulfillment that I began to feel when I overcame that kind of fear of going to speak to a dying patient, the fulfillment was far greater than getting somebody out of pulmonary edema. And that's kind of stayed with me to this very day. So although radiation oncology is a kind of something you have to do, and you sort of radiate, when I'm called to patients like this, and I do have time, then I kind of sit down with a patient and discuss the options and try to give other options because very often it's a kind of turf in the house of God. Somebody doesn't want to have that conversation with a patient, and they're kind of turfing the patient in a house of God sense to have some radiation. And I'm not sure that radiation in such cases– So this is something that I'm confronting quite often in my daily practice, and it becomes more and more complex culturally because when one is confronted with families who also want to be very active and are dreading having to live with the idea that maybe there's something they could have done that they never did, and they're putting a lot of pressure, then it's a very tough situation. So I'm very sensitive to these situations. I've often had end-of-life discussions with patients like that, sometimes against the wish of families that are close by. And the patient would say- well, they'd say to me, 'No, don't talk to him." And the patient said, "No, I want you to go away. Because I think this is the first time someone's listening to me, and I want to hear what he has to say." I feel very passionately about these– Dr. Lidia Schapira: I have so many comments that we would need hours to discuss. But, of course, the first comment I wanted to make is that some of the most humane oncological specialists I know are radiation oncologists, so I don't see you guys as just treaters and physicists wearing scrubs. I see you as incredibly compassionate members of the cancer team. And that brings to mind a lot of the current discussion about palliative radiation, this idea that we can just throw some rads at people because there's nothing to lose and maybe there'll be some improvement in function. So can you talk a little bit about that? I mean, here you are in a very busy clinic falling behind. You've got to walk through a waiting room of people who are sort of looking at you saying, “How can you be walking out when we had an appointment with you half an hour ago?” And you go and find Vladimir, who's despondent and can't have a conversation with you. And I'm pretty sure that you must have been going through this internal conflict even before you met your patient about what to do. Tell us a little bit more about the emotional impact for you. Dr. Zvi Symon: Yeah. With great trepidation, I actually go up to the department to speak to a patient like this. I think the electronic medical record, for all the problems with that, it allows us to kind of really quickly glimpse and get a true picture of what the situation is. So I had seen the imaging and I'd seen the size of this really very nasty tumor. And I sort of remembered the literature that it's a relative contraindication and it actually may make things worse. But I was getting calls from the department and the medical oncologist who consulted that I must see this patient, and they want that patient to get treated today. So with a kind of a heavy heart, I go up the stairs. I breathe deeply on the way to calm myself and take the staircase up to the 6th floor and walk very slowly up the stairs, trying to go through my mind, what am I going to do, and kind of enter the ward. And then I am confronted by this person who is terribly suffering, very terribly. And he doesn't actually want to look at me at all. His eyes can't meet and he looks kind of, his eyes are very dull. And I see his wife watching me and watching him and turn to her. They are immigrants to the country. And there's also a cultural issue and language problems and difficult socio– Dr. Lidia Schapira: If this were fiction, you could not have made it harder. I mean, when I remember reading the manuscript thinking, this poor immigrant, he's depressed, his son is depressed, the other son has COVID, his wife is weeping and says she's the one who's tried to make ends meet. You have all of these barriers in addition to this internal clock that you have somewhere else to be. Can't begin to imagine the pressure. So how did you get through that? Dr. Zvi Symon: Yeah, I think my mind was kind of ticking over and I think that sometimes we make very practical choices. And I knew that if I sat for too long and I fired a warning shot and said, “Well, this may not help and this may not do it,” but I think that culturally I had the feeling that it was the wrong thing to do and that there was an expectation and the expectation had been created by the team, and it's very difficult to turn down that expectation. And I also felt that she was so frail and that she had really no support and maybe if one of her kids would have come within half an hour, I would have said, “Well, I'll come back after my clinic in the afternoon and let's have a chat with your son.” But the situation was such that I thought, “Well, you just have to be practical and you have to get back to your clinic.” It's a hard feeling that we make value decisions just because it's more comfortable for us. We want to finish our clinic and also go – Dr. Lidia Schapira: No question about that. Yes, and I think the reader will feel for you, as I did when I read it. I mean, I could immediately sort of imagine all these things playing out. So you follow your intuition, you assess it, you say, “Okay. We'll give it a try,” right? And then you have your team to deal with and your lovely radiation therapist, the technologist who gets personally involved. And then you introduce the idea that perhaps connecting with something in Vladimir's recent past that brings him joy. Can this image of this puppy romping through the fields, is something that can maybe help you all? Like the glue, the emotional glue that keeps you together. Talk a little bit about that part, about how you tried to bring this element out in the story, to give another dimension for the reader, a view not only as the physician giving Vladimir care, but also leading your team. Dr. Zvi Symon: So I think that an open question to a patient about their– “Just tell me a little bit about yourself,” is an invitation for a person to tell you about the things that they care most about, about the people they love most, that the things were of the most importance in their lives. And I think that kind of human connection, if we can kind of latch onto that and harness that to improve the way we communicate with the patient and the way we get the rest of the team to communicate with the patient, I think that can be very powerful. I mean, I myself love dogs, and I was like, really, my Border Collie just died a few months ago, and we buried her after 12 years, and she was a wonderful animal and part of the family. And in the two minutes that I had to listen to- that's what she told me about, she told me about the dog. And when I tried to motivate the team to add him as an urgent sim and he wasn't cooperating, then it just occurred to me to tell them about it. Dr. Lidia Schapira: It worked. It was amazing. Dr. Zvi Symon: And it worked. Yeah. Dr. Lidia Schapira: It was a beautiful story. I too, am a lover of dogs. I have a wonderful puppy now, and he brings tremendous joy. But your message is so full of compassion and humanity. It's basically back to Dame Cicely Saunders' idea that you want to know who the person is that you're treating and you want to know what matters to them. And so here you caught this moment of connection with the family and with the patient and with your young radiation therapist who needed to feel that he was actually helping this person. So it's a beautiful story. I want to just give you a chance to finish the interview by telling us something perhaps that you want the readers or the listeners to take away from your piece. Dr. Zvi Symon: Well, I think that the situation of, I think as physicians, we don't really ever know when the patient precisely is going to die. And the whole idea, I think, of a Gosses and my thoughts about the Gosses were, because it's sort of defined within Jewish religious law, someone that is going to die within 72 hours. Now, it's very difficult to define. We don't know that. We never do know that. But I think that that sensitivity to the comfort of a suffering patient and offering a treatment that may be futile or that is highly likely to be futile and that may be involved in an enormous amount of discomfort, I think that we have to be able to sit down with these patients and with their families and discuss other options as just very good sedation and not necessarily, I think, doing, but rather just being there, as you mentioned, for the patient. Dr. Lidia Schapira: It's a beautiful thought, and I think we all agree with you. And I think what made this story so poignant is that here you are, that time is compressed and you're introduced to the family as somebody who potentially could help fix something or provide something. So it's very difficult to step back, as you say, and do the deep work of sitting and talking and counseling and accompanying. But I think your humanity comes through and your desire to help comes through beautifully in the story. And I really thank you for bringing this concept to our attention. I think that it may be an old idea, but one that is still very relevant. And thank you for sending your work to JCO. Dr. Zvi Symon: Thank you very much. Dr. Lidia Schapira: Until next time, thank you for listening to JCO's Cancer Stories: The Art of Oncology. Don't forget to give us a rating or review and be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode. You can find all of the ASCO shows at asco.org/podcast. The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. This is not a substitute for professional medical care and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or treatment of individual conditions. Guests on this podcast express their own opinions, experience, and conclusions. Guest statements on the podcast do not express the opinions of ASCO. The mention of any product, service, organization, activity, or therapy should not be construed as an ASCO endorsement. Show Notes Like, share and subscribe so you never miss an episode and leave a rating or review. Guest Bio: Dr. Zvi Symon is a Senior Consultant in the Department and Director of the National School of Radiotherapy at the Sheba Medical Center in Israel and Clinical professor of Oncology at Tel Aviv University Medical School.
Dr. Lucy Kalanithi is a physician, storyteller, and widow of Paul Kalanithi, the author of the New York Times Bestseller, When Breath Becomes Air. She's dedicated to helping others choose end-of-life experiences that best align with their values, but, more than anything, she's a widowed mom. Hear Dr. Lucy's experience of losing her husband Paul, her insights on the surprising manifestations of grief, and what it means to live a life that includes pain and suffering. Get full show notes and more information here: https://www.coachingwithkrista.com/231
看了张倩的履历你就知道,她真的是“别人家的孩子” 。全额奖学金去美国名校读本科,27岁进哈佛商学院,知名咨询公司供职,30岁前和多金、帅气、有前途的美国男友准备谈婚论嫁,如果你看到30岁前的她,你可能会觉得,she has it all。但是我关注她并不是应为这些自带流量的社交媒体标签,反而是她在小红书上,完全真实的记录了30岁后这两年她所有的“失败“,裸辞,分手,得抑郁症,和父母、和自己拧巴的关系.....这些也是社交媒体上”自带流量“的标签,但是好像没有一个曾经如此世俗意义上成功的女生,愿意被贴上这些标签,但是王倩却真实的记录着…… 今天我们邀请王倩来给我们分享她的故事。感谢她的真实,也感谢哪些在她最底谷的时候,给了她鼓励的所有人。张倩的小红书账号:都是刘亦婷曾子墨耽误了我小红书ID: qianinboston谁是刘亦婷?刘亦婷在1999年被美国哈佛大学以全额奖学金特招录取。其父母想其经历出版成书《哈佛女孩刘亦婷》。此书发布既成畅销书,哈佛女孩刘亦婷也成为“别人家孩子”的代言词。成为所有父母激励孩子的榜样。谁是曾子墨?原凤凰卫视财经节目主持人。毕业于美国达特茅斯大学,毕业后加入投资银行摩根士丹利,因为其知性的主持风格深受喜爱,也成为年轻女生职场榜样。推荐的理财播客:Planet Money https://www.npr.org/sections/money/推荐的书籍:When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanith The Monk and the Philosopher: A Father and Son Discuss the Meaning of Life by Jean-Francois Revel What I Talk About When I Talk About Running: A Memoir by Haruki Murakami (《当我谈跑步时我谈些什么》村上春树)《战争与和平》列夫 托尔斯泰推荐的歌曲:《给未来的自己》梁静茹站在狂风的天台一望无际这一座孤独的城市在天空与高楼交接的尽头谁追寻空旷的自由阳光覆满这一刻宁静的我隔绝了喧嚣和冷漠川流不息的人游荡在街头谁能听见谁的寂寞找一个人惺惺相惜 找一颗心 心心相印在这个宇宙 我是独一无二 没人能取代不管怎样 怎样都会受伤伤了又怎样 至少我很坚强 我很坦荡夜幕笼罩灿烂的一片灯海多少人多少种无奈 在星光里遗忘昨天的伤害一觉醒来还有期待我不放弃爱的勇气 我不怀疑会有真心 我要握住 一个最美的梦 给未来的自己 一天一天 一天推翻一天 坚持的信仰我会记住自己今天的模样 有一个人惺惺相惜 有一颗心心心相印 抛开过去 我想认真去追寻 未来的自己 不管怎样怎样都会受伤伤了又怎样 至少我很坚强 我很坦荡我不放弃爱的勇气 我不怀疑会有真心我要握住 一个最美的梦 给未来的自己不管怎样 怎样都会受伤伤了又怎样 至少我很坚强 我很坦荡未来的你 会懂我的疯狂
On this week's episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing: Bookish Moments: comfort social accounts and mother daughter bonding Current Reads: four regular reads and our two bossy presses Deep Dive: how we felt about pressing books to each other and our experiences reading them The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives As per usual, time-stamped show notes are below with references to every book and resource we mentioned in this episode. If you'd like to listen first and not spoil the surprise, don't scroll down! We are now including transcripts of the episode (this link only works on the main site). The goal here is to increase accessibility for our fans! *Please note that all book titles linked below are Bookshop affiliate links. Your cost is the same, but a small portion of your purchase will come back to us to help offset the costs of the show. If you'd prefer to shop on Amazon, you can still do so here through our main storefront. Anything you buy there (even your laundry detergent, if you recently got obsessed with switching up your laundry game) kicks a small amount back to us. Thanks for your support!* . . . . 1:20 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week 1:40 - @megs.tea.room on Instagram 1:40 - @megstearoom on Tiktok 2:01 - Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree 3:56 - Book of the Month 6:21 - Current Reads 6:28 - Clean Air by Sarah Blake (Meredith) 8:40 - @fictionmatters on Instagram 10:30 - The Need by Helen Phillips 10:33 - Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam 10:56 - The Displacements by Bruce Holsinger 10:57 - Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel 10:58 - Curfew by Jayne Cowie 11:22 - Everything Happens for a Reason by Kate Bowler (Kaytee) 13:35 - When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi 13:39 - Everything Happens podcast 15:36 - Dark August by Katie Tallo (Meredith) 17:55 - The Book Drop Subscription 19:49 - We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker 20:29 - Ander & Santi Were Here by Jonny Garza Villa (Kaytee) 20:37 - CR Season 5: Episode 45 25:07 - Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (Meredith) 29:55 - Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah 34:22 - Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff (Kaytee) 42:38 - Deep Dive: Being The Presser and the Pressee 44:33 - BookRiot 45:45 - To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee 47:19 - Matrix by Lauren Groff 51:32 - Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff 52:20 - Meet Us At The Fountain 53:58 - I wish those of us with littles would let them choose our reads sometimes. (Meredith) 54:07 - I wish we would practice letting go of the reins. (Kaytee) Connect With Us: Meredith is @meredithmondayschwartz on Instagram Kaytee is @notesonbookmarks on Instagram Mary is @maryreadsandsips on Instagram Roxanna is @roxannatheplanner on Instagram currentlyreadingpodcast.com @currentlyreadingpodcast on Instagram currentlyreadingpodcast@gmail.com Support us at patreon.com/currentlyreadingpodcastand www.zazzle.com/store/currentlyreading
Brought to you by Ezra—The leading full-body cancer screening company | Coda—Meet the evolution of docs | Attio—The powerful, flexible CRM for fast-growing startups—Geoff Charles is VP of Product at Ramp—the fastest-growing SaaS startup of all time, Fast Company's #1 Most Innovative Company in North America, and a company I believe we should all study for how they operate, execute, and hire. At Ramp, Geoff has led the product team from the early days, including the development and release of 60+ products and features in the past year alone. He has been building financial services for over a decade, and his interview in Lenny's Newsletter quickly became one of the most widely read newsletter issues of all time. In today's podcast, we will discuss:• How velocity is at the heart of Ramp's culture and success• How writing can unlock clarity, creativity, and rapid problem-solving• How to empower your product team through context sharing• How to practically approach problems from first principles• How Ramp approaches hiring in a unique way• Suggestions for breaking into the world of product managementListen now on Apple, Spotify, Google, Overcast, and YouTube.Find the transcript for this episode and all past episodes at: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/episodes/. Today's transcript will be live by 8 a.m. PT.Where to find Geoff Charles:• Twitter: https://twitter.com/geoffintech• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/geoffrey-charles/Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• Twitter: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Geoff's background(04:49) An overview of Ramp(06:20) The importance of velocity at Ramp(08:50) Single-threaded goals and how to keep teams away from distractions(13:20) Setting lofty goals(15:17) How Ramp empowers teams(17:37) How Geoff's management style has evolved at Ramp(19:55) The product design process at Ramp(21:19) Ramp's system for sharing feedback(23:07) How Ramp handles bug fixes (24:15) Advice for PMs who want to move faster(29:29) Why velocity and impact can help protect against burnout(32:33) Planning vs. doing(37:54) Ramp's strategy documents (40:55) Finding your unique positioning(42:46) OKRs(44:53) The importance of first-principle thinking(48:53) How to use writing to think through problems (51:46) How Geoff carves out time for deep work(54:05) How Geoff manages tasks and stays organized(57:15) Why other roles share the PM load at Ramp(1:00:30) PM responsibilities at Ramp(1:01:46) Identifying A+ talent(1:06:02) The skills Ramp looks for when hiring(1:07:33) Advice for people wanting to break into product management (1:10:37) Lightning roundReferenced:• How Ramp builds product: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-ramp-builds-product• Bill: https://www.bill.com/• Expensify: https://www.expensify.com/• Concur: https://www.concur.com/• Coupa: https://www.coupa.com/• Nicole Forsgren on Lenny's Podcast: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/how-to-measure-and-improve-developer-productivity-nicole-forsgren-microsoft-research-github-goo/• Sheryl Sandberg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheryl-sandberg-5126652/• Getting Things Done: https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Things-Done-Stress-Free-Productivity/dp/0143126563• When Breath Becomes Air: https://www.amazon.com/When-Breath-Becomes-Paul-Kalanithi/dp/081298840X• The Bear on Hulu: https://www.hulu.com/series/the-bear-05eb6a8e-90ed-4947-8c0b-e6536cbddd5f• Whoop: https://www.whoop.com/Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe
During Nam-joon's 2019 Rkive studio tour, "When Breath Becomes Air" by Paul Kalanithi. This is a powerful memoir of a terminally ill neurosurgeon trying to find meaning in life. Join Alison and Megan for a deep dive into this power story.NEW! Afternoona Army is now on PATREON!Join The BTS Buzz and get access to Afternoona Army's exclusive DISCORD channel, get shout outs on-air in podcast, and receive invitations to quarterly live support groups. Questions? Email afternoonaarmy@gmail.com for more information.Sign Up for Our Newsletter!Want our thoughts on Yunki's hair extensions in a 500-word essay? More book recs? This is the place to get it. Sign up HERE! Are your family and friends sick of you talking about K-drama? We get it...and have an answer. Join our AfterNoona Delight Patreon and find community among folks who get your obsession. And check out our sister pod www.afternoonadelight.com for more episodes, book recs and social media goodness.Want to find more great BTS content? Head over to Afternoona Army for "thinky, thirsty and over thirty" takes on Bangtan life and links to our social media.
Sign-up for my free 20-day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com--Series: Wisdom for Work from the PsalmsDevotional: 3 of 7Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:12)I've noticed a strikingly consistent theme in the biographies of history's most impactful Christians: They thought about death—a lot. At the age of 29, Martin Luther told a mentor “he didn't think he would live very long.” William Wilberforce “seriously believed he was likely to die violently” before he completed his life's work of abolishing the slave trade. And Alexander Hamilton “imagine[d] death so much it [felt] more like a memory.”These men lived and worked hundreds of years ago when death was far more common and thinking about it was in some ways inevitable. That stands in stark contrast to our culture today. In an essay titled The Pornography of Death, anthropologist Geoffrey Gorer argued that death has replaced sex as the most taboo topic of our modern age.But in Psalm 90, Moses says that meditating on death is one of the wisest things we can do. Why? Because dwelling on death leads us to “walk [carefully], not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (see Ephesians 5:15-16).So here's my encouragement to you: Find a way to remind yourself of the brevity of life today. Here are just four ideas.#1: Choose a passage of Scripture to memorize that will remind you of the sobering reality of death. Some of my favorites are Psalm 39:5, Psalm 90:12, Psalm 144:4, Job 7:7, Ecclesiastes 7:2, James 4:14, and Ecclesiastes 12:7.#2: Take a walk in a cemetery on your drive to or from work today.#3: Read a great book on death from a Christian perspective. Two that I return to often are On Death by Tim Keller and When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi.#4: Put physical reminders of death around you. Ancient merchants would often write the Latin memento mori (meaning “think of death”) in large letters on the first page of their accounting books. I have “running out of time” written inside my running shoes. Whatever works for you, works.These practices will look foolish to the world, but Scripture says they are wise for the believer. Do something to dwell on death today so that you may gain a heart of wisdom and redeem your time for the glory of God and the good of others!
On this episode I'm speaking with Mike Brewer, COO at RADCO. Mike has received numerous industry honors, including seven "Property Management Company of the Year" awards under his leadership, and he's a frequent contributor to industry-related publications. At RADCO, his investment in technological advances and education improves the team member experience and elevates customer engagement. His vlog, The Multifamily Collective, reaches industry professionals across the globe who tune in daily for Mike's reflections on everything from consumer trends to employee relations, professional growth, and beyond. Related links for this episode: The RADCO Companies - https://radco.us/ Mike on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikebrewer/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/mbrewer Multifamily Collective - https://multifamilycollective.com/ MFC on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@multifamilycollective The Villages - https://www.thevillages.com/ When Breath Becomes Air (book) - https://amzn.to/3WLs1gE Be sure to support this podcast by subscribing and reviewing! Get on the list at https://transformingcities.io for future announcements. Brought to you by Authentic: https://authenticff.com © 2023 Authentic Form & Function
Lucy Kalanithi is a doctor, a mom, and the widow of Dr. Paul Kalanithi, author of the bestselling memoir, “When Breath Becomes Air.” Lucy was at Paul's side through his final days, both at home and at the hospital. In this conversation, she reflects on how his death transformed her relationship to time, and how we make meaning in the world. If you enjoyed this episode, we recommend this one from the archives: "Losing Dixie” For a behind-the-scenes look at the show, follow @DrMayaShankar on Instagram. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
When Breath Becomes Air, the book written by Dr. Paul Kalanithi, moved and inspired me. Many of you said you enjoy my takeaways about a particular book. So today I want to share some lessons from this piercing work. Recently, I read this book for the third time and got more from it this time than ever. I think the reason is that I'm older and have had more experiences. Some of them have been exhilarating. Others have been sobering. And I have also experienced grief more acutely. Even though the book is imbued with the wisdom of death looming, it is life-affirming. Reading it has definitely opened up my life. What I mention in this episode:Why the depth of experience I went through has made this book more precious to mePaul Kalanithi's biography Four main lessons I learned from the bookWhat you'll learn from it:The importance of deciding what's really important to you to make the most of your timeHow to live in your questions rather than rushing to get answers The sacredness in finding the work you are meant to do on this EarthWhy you don't have to explain the reason you like or dislike somethingI hope this book gives you the same goosebumps it gives me every time I read it. xo, KavethaPS- Want to create an unshakable foundation and cultivate meaningful relationships?My program for women, Heal Your Relationships, offers evidence-based tools, training, and community to build an unshakeable foundation and rock-solid relationships.In this 8-week program, you will get the HYR™ Framework and Tools, and weekly calls with certified coaches in a group environment and privately. Besides, you'll be surrounded by a community of women who have each other's back. Click here to learn more and connect for a breakthrough call with me: https://healyourrelationships.com/ In This Episode:00:00 Welcome back to another episode of Emotional Mastery01:38 Today I have a special treat for you 03:58 Introduction to the book When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi06:55 General summary of the book 11:19 First lesson from the book16:47 Second lesson from the book19:03 Third lesson from the book 23:33 Forth lesson from the book 25:44 Connection of this book with the five remembrances 27:31 I would love to hear from you Resources: - Podcast episode about Viktor Frankl's teachings - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wiseish-010-5-lessons-from-viktor-frankl/id1622617195?i=1000565759860 - Book “When Breath Becomes Air” by Paul Kalanithi - https://www.amazon.com/When-Breath-Becomes-Paul-Kalanithi/dp/081298840X -
ในบางครั้ง.. การจะเข้าใจความหมายของการมีชีวิตอยู่ ก็เกิดขึ้นเมื่อได้เผชิญหน้ากับความสูญเสีย ความเจ็บปวด หรือความตายเท่านั้น . ชวนอ่านหนังสือ “When Breath Becomes Air” หรือ “เมื่อลมหายใจกลายเป็นอากาศ” ที่บอกเล่าเรื่องราวที่เป็นแรงบันดาลใจ และแฝงไปด้วยข้อคิดมากมาย ในเฮือกสุดท้ายในชีวิตของคุณหมอท่านหนึ่ง . เชิญรับฟังพร้อมๆ กันได้ใน MM Podcast EP.1840 │ เรียนรู้ความหมายของการมีชีวิตอยู่จากหนังสือ When Breath Becomes Air . #missiontothemoon #missiontothemoonpodcast #inspiration
ในบางครั้ง.. การจะเข้าใจความหมายของการมีชีวิตอยู่ ก็เกิดขึ้นเมื่อได้เผชิญหน้ากับความสูญเสีย ความเจ็บปวด หรือความตายเท่านั้น . ชวนอ่านหนังสือ “When Breath Becomes Air” หรือ “เมื่อลมหายใจกลายเป็นอากาศ” ที่บอกเล่าเรื่องราวที่เป็นแรงบันดาลใจ และแฝงไปด้วยข้อคิดมากมาย ในเฮือกสุดท้ายในชีวิตของคุณหมอท่านหนึ่ง . เชิญรับฟังพร้อมๆ กันได้ใน MM Podcast EP.1840 │ เรียนรู้ความหมายของการมีชีวิตอยู่จากหนังสือ When Breath Becomes Air . #missiontothemoon #missiontothemoonpodcast #inspiration
Brought to you by Miro—A collaborative visual platform where your best work comes to life | Braintrust—For when you needed talent, yesterday | Linear—The new standard for modern software development—Varun Parmar is the Chief Product Officer of Miro and has over two decades of experience in the tech industry. Prior to joining Miro, Varun held executive positions as Chief Product Officer at Box and Syncplicity (acquired by Dell EMC) and spent six years in product management at Adobe. He also co-founded Doculus, which was later acquired by Box. In today's episode, we discuss:• The importance of empathy and how to foster it• The “AMPED” structure for cross-functional product teams• How to move fast and stay ahead of the competition• Powerful product and design rituals• How Miro acquired their first 1,000 users• How Miro successfully added a sales motion—Find the full transcript at: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/an-inside-look-at-how-miro-builds-product-lessons-on-outmaneuvering-competitors-team-structure-product-quality-and-moving-fast-varun-parmar-cpo-of-miro/#transcript—Where to find Varun Parmar:• Twitter: https://twitter.com/vparmar230• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vparmar/—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• Twitter: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Varun's background(04:08) How Miro operates as a cross-cultural product team(07:22) How applying empathy helped Miro build Miro Talktrack(11:51) What makes Miro stand out(17:08) Miro's AMPED structure(22:57) The benefit of having product marketing as a part of the cross-functional team(25:24) How competition affects growth and product strategy(31:43) Why speed is so important and how to improve it(34:21) How Miro ensures that their products meet quality standards(37:19) How to remove blockers(47:22) Miro's product development process(53:34) How OKRs work at Miro(55:55) The product stack at Miro(1:01:20) Big bets vs. maintenance and bug fixes at Miro(1:03:44) The “three horizons” framework(1:04:30) The importance of accountability(1:10:46) How Miro got their first 1,000 users(1:12:33) Other growth levers at Miro(1:15:53) Adding a sales motion(1:18:08) Miro AI, and new updates and enhancements coming soon(1:20:12) Lightning round—Referenced:• Miro: https://miro.com/• Miro Talktrack: https://help.miro.com/hc/en-us/articles/7825622973330-Miro-Talktrack-board-recordings-BETA-• The design sprint: https://www.thesprintbook.com/the-design-sprint• Jake Knapp on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake-knapp/• Miroverse: https://miro.com/miroverse/• Amp It Up: Leading for Hypergrowth by Raising Expectations, Increasing Urgency, and Elevating Intensity: https://www.amazon.com/Amp-Unlocking-Hypergrowth-Expectations-Intensity/dp/1119836115• Reinforcement learning: https://towardsdatascience.com/reinforcement-learning-101-e24b50e1d292• Jira: https://www.atlassian.com/software/jira• Confluence: https://www.atlassian.com/software/confluence• Coda: https://coda.io/• Looker: https://www.looker.com/google-cloud/• Productboard: https://www.productboard.com/• Three horizons framework: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/enduring-ideas-the-three-horizons-of-growth• Capterra: https://www.capterra.com/• Elena Verna on Lenny's Podcast: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/elena-verna-on-how-b2b-growth-is-changing-product-led-growth-product-led-sales-why-you-should-go-freemium-not-trial-what-features-to-make-free-and-much-more/• Barbra Gago on Lenny's Podcast: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/category-creation-and-brand-building-barbra-gago-pando-miro-greenhouse-culture-amp/• FIFA World Cup template: https://miro.com/miroverse/fifa-world-cup-2022-editable-bracket-diagrams/• When Breath Becomes Air: https://www.amazon.com/When-Breath-Becomes-Paul-Kalanithi/dp/081298840X/• Hit Refresh: The Quest to Rediscover Microsoft's Soul and Imagine a Better Future for Everyone: https://www.amazon.com/Hit-Refresh-Rediscover-Microsofts-Everyone/dp/0062652508/• Ted Lasso on AppleTV+: https://tv.apple.com/us/show/ted-lasso/—Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com. Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi (2016)
Getting remote working right can feel like a real challenge. Whether your organisation is fully remote, or has a hybrid working arrangement, it's easy for people to start to feel disconnected and unhappy with work.In this episode of HR Coffee Time, Head of People at YuLife, Claire Cathcart shares some brilliant initiatives to help. Listen to her chat with Career Coach, Fay Wallis, where she talks through:The LinkedIn post she shared about a remote working initiative that went viral, with nearly 3,000 reposts How to make your onboarding process as good as possible for remote workersHow to help managers do a great job at managing remotelyGreat ways to encourage collaboration & connection throughout your remote workforceKey Resources Mentioned in This EpisodeClaire's LinkedIn post about the ‘not feeling 100%' Slack status that went viralClaire' book recommendation: “When Breath Becomes Air” by Paul Kalanithi (Disclosure: the book links are affiliate links which means that Fay will receive a small commission from Amazon if you make a purchase through either of them)Connect With Fay & ClaireConnect with Claire on LinkedInConnect with Fay on LinkedInFay's website: Bright Sky Career CoachingRate and Review the PodcastIf you found this episode of HR Coffee Time helpful, please can you rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify? If you're kind enough to leave a review, please do let Fay know so she can say thank you. You can always reach her at: fay@brightskycareercoaching.co.uk.Enjoyed This Episode? Don't Miss the Next One!Be notified each time a new episode of HR Coffee Time is released and get access to other free career tips, tools and resources by signing up to receive the free weekly HR Coffee Time email.How Fay & Bright Sky Career Coaching Can Help YouIf you've been enjoying the podcast & would like some support from Fay or her colleagues at Bright Sky, they can help you through:1:1 coaching to overcome your career challengesGroup coaching – build your confidence, credibility & influence in 6 weeks through Fay's signature programme, Inspiring HRInterview coaching to succeed in your next interviewCareer change coaching to find a new, more fulfilling careerThe ‘Power Up Your LinkedIn...
Recommend this show by sharing the link: pod.link/2Pages I've been very lucky to work with some of the TED Fellows, a program where young people of promise are given access to the TED world. For three years, I attended a gathering of these extraordinary young people to offer some support, facilitation, and coaching. What became obvious to me over the years was the commonness of brilliance, achievement, and disintegration. They were often exhausted, overwhelmed, and struggling with their so-called success. Of course, there was a range of coaches and experts who were able to provide support and accelerate most of them to the plateau of sustainability. As you know, I love good questions, so: What does ‘sustainable' success look like? How do I not sacrifice my life for my ambition? Laurel Braitman is a best-selling writer, secular clinical chaplain-in-training, and the Director of Writing and Storytelling at the Stanford School of Medicine where she teaches those in the medical field to communicate more clearly and vulnerably with their patients. She's also a TED Fellow, which is where I met her a decade and some ago. Get book links and resources at https://www.mbs.works/2-pages-podcast/ Laurel reads two pages from ‘When Breath Becomes Air' by Paul Kalanithi. [reading begins at 20:15] Hear us discuss: “There's really no such thing as happiness, only happy-sad or sadly happy.” [14:10] | Gaining a lived understanding of love. [24:30] | “Let life surprise you, maybe it'll surprise you in a good way.” [29:03] | Learning to dance with your limitations: “My drug of choice is excellence.” [30:52] | What success really means. [35:52] | The mission for What Looks Like Bravery. [40:32] | “There's nothing like the gift of believing in someone when they don't believe in themselves.” [45:58]
On today's episode, I'm joined by Patrick Sells, Co-Founder of True Digital Group.True Digital Group's mission is to help financial institutions embrace digital innovation through investments in culture, capabilities, and capital.It really is a mission for Patrick and the team at True Digital Group. Over the last few years, he's had the chance to speak to 1,100 financial institutions. You can say he truly has the pulse of the banking community.Patrick and I discussed common themes from the 1,100 conversations; the biggest barriers banks still face today, the education gap amongst banks and fintechs, Mindshift, blockchain and crypto, raising capital, and much more.If you want to sponsor an episode, come on as a guest, or sponsor one of our many digital or in-person offerings, please reach out anytime at todd@fintechnexus.com.Without further ado, Patrick Sells, Co-Founder of True Digital Group. I hope you enjoy the show.Episode highlights include:Patrick's journey through banking to True Digital Group1,100 bank conversationsThe Mindshift productTop impediments banks face todayThe education gapSelling to banks vs. credit unionsBlockchain and cryptoThe impending recessionRaising capitalRecommended reading - When Breath Becomes Air by Paul KalanithiAnd much more…Connect with Patrick on LinkedInConnect with True Digital Group on LinkedInConnect with PitchIt: Tweet me @ToddFintech Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous PitchIt episodes Email me at todd@fintechnexus.com Until next time.
When Breath Becomes Air Full Free Audio Book SummaryCome to Bookey Book Summary to unlock more content. After many years of hard study and medical practice, Paul finally caught a glimpse of his own Promised Land. He was poised to receive a tenure-track professorship and a chance to start his own neuroscience lab from the Stanford University School of Medicine. At that moment, he joined the 0.12 unlucky people out of every ten thousand who contracts lung cancer before the age of 36. From then on, he began to explore the truth behind death as a doctor and a patient. While we listen in to this bookey, Paul, its author, has already passed away. His breath has turned into air, yet the courage he possessed in the face of death lives on. Overview | Chapter 1Hi, welcome to Bookey. Today we will unlock the book When Breath Becomes Air. For every ten thousand people in the modern world, of those under the age of 36, only 0.12 will contract lung cancer. The book's author Paul Kalanithi happened to be one of this tiny unfortunate minority. At Stanford University, Kalanithi attained dual honors in his Bachelor's degree in English literature and human biology. He went on to earn a Master of Philosophy in History and Philosophy of Science and Medicine at the University of Cambridge. Finally, at the Yale School of Medicine, his stellar research was acknowledged with a PhD. During his six to seven years of residency, he worked a hundred hours a week. For his efforts in this period of intensive research, the American Academy of Neurological Surgery acknowledged him with their highest award. In short, at Stanford University, he was hailed as one of the most gifted doctors. However, in his final year of residency, as he was poised to receive a tenure-track professorship as well as an opportunity to head his own neuroscience lab at Stanford University School of Medicine, Kalanithi was denied the time to savor the fruits of his years of hard labor. He was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer and forced to confront his mortality. Death itself is not shocking but having life snatched away prematurely often leaves people with a tragic sense of regret. From the moment when a person is diagnosed with cancer, they will inevitably yearn to set the clock back and live their life again. Yet, a fact is a fact. Going back to the old life, as well as the future that one imagined, is now seen to be nothing more than extravagant dreams. What should one do in this predicament? Merely wait for death to come? No. Paul Kalanithi decided to continue living as he would have lived had he not been given his tumultuous cancer diagnosis. The Paul of the past had wanted a child. After much deliberation, a post-cancer Paul made the same decision to extend his family, even if this might make saying goodbye even more excruciating. Paul had always regarded medicine to be his life-long mission. After his diagnosis, Paul went back to the operating theatre whenever his physical condition allowed. Paul had always wanted to write. So, despite suffering intense physical pain from his condition, he propped himself up and forced his weakened frame to write ceaselessly. And finally, he completed When Breath Becomes Air. Although cancer had the effect of accelerating Paul's life to its end, he remained faithful to his heart's desires. He kept asking himself what was meaningful, what was truly important. Then, he channeled all his remaining strength and spirit into those enterprises. When he finally came to the brink and faced death, he smiled. Paul said, ‘I...
Not many veterinary professionals would deny the unbridled joy of a new puppy or kitten visit. But it's the complex emotions, accumulated experiences, and deeply rooted relationships (not to mention those wobbly legs and gray faces) that can make senior pet appointments the most rewarding and memorable of all. Mary Gardner, DVM, author, innovator, and co-founder of Lap of Love, did us the honor of serving on the task force for the newly released 2023 AAHA Senior Care Guidelines, and in this episode she shares how veterinary teams in any field can make their practices more senior-friendly – and how we can harness the power of the gray muzzle/creaky cat advocates on our teams to take senior care and end-of-life care to the next level. Find out more about Dr. Mary, including her newest books, It's Never Long Enough and Nine Lives Are Not Enough, at drmarygardner.com. Other books mentioned in today's episode: Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole, by Susan Cain, and When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi. Read the brand new 2023 AAHA Senior Care Guidelines and associated resources FREE at aaha.org/senior-care – and check out all of AAHA's most up-to-date Guidelines, including resources for your clients and team, at aaha.org/guidelines. Wish you could watch these conversations? Catch Central Line on YouTube. Got something to say? We're always up for constructive comments and conversation. Send us feedback or questions anytime at podcast@aaha.org. This podcast was produced by Clear Contender, LLC.
When Dr. Paul Kalanithi faced a stage IV lung cancer diagnosis in his last year as a neurosurgical resident, his wife, Dr. Lucy Kalanithi faced it with him. In the twenty-two months that followed, they continued to work, had a child and he wrote a best selling book . But since his death, how have her grief and her love showed themselves? She made sure that his book, when Breath Becomes Air, was published and promoted, most importantly by her. She carried his love forward into her own life and parenting of their daughter Cady. And she lent her energy to projects that reflect the intersection between that most impactful walk through cancer with Paul, and her interest in meaning in medicine, patient-centered care and end-of-life care. So it is no surprise that she is on the advisory board of the OpenIDEO end of life challenge, exploring how to improve end of life experiences world wide. Hear how this newest passion connects with what she and Paul experienced during his illness and death.
When Dr. Paul Kalanithi faced a stage IV lung cancer diagnosis in his last year as a neurosurgical resident, his wife, Dr. Lucy Kalanithi faced it with him. In the twenty-two months that followed, they continued to work, had a child and he wrote a best selling book . But since his death, how have her grief and her love showed themselves? She made sure that his book, when Breath Becomes Air, was published and promoted, most importantly by her. She carried his love forward into her own life and parenting of their daughter Cady. And she lent her energy to projects that reflect the intersection between that most impactful walk through cancer with Paul, and her interest in meaning in medicine, patient-centered care and end-of-life care. So it is no surprise that she is on the advisory board of the OpenIDEO end of life challenge, exploring how to improve end of life experiences world wide. Hear how this newest passion connects with what she and Paul experienced during his illness and death.
When Dr. Paul Kalanithi faced a stage IV lung cancer diagnosis in his last year as a neurosurgical resident, his wife, Dr. Lucy Kalanithi faced it with him. In the twenty-two months that followed, they continued to work, had a child and he wrote a best selling book . But since his death, how have her grief and her love showed themselves? She made sure that his book, when Breath Becomes Air, was published and promoted, most importantly by her. She carried his love forward into her own life and parenting of their daughter Cady. And she lent her energy to projects that reflect the intersection between that most impactful walk through cancer with Paul, and her interest in meaning in medicine, patient-centered care and end-of-life care. So it is no surprise that she is on the advisory board of the OpenIDEO end of life challenge, exploring how to improve end of life experiences world wide. Hear how this newest passion connects with what she and Paul experienced during his illness and death.
Today's show marks my 100th episode of the Cops and Writers Podcast!!!I would like to take a minute and thank all of you who support me and the show. My wonderful patrons, everyone who has purchased a book in my Cops and Writers series and my new Brew City Blues series. And, of course, the amazing guests I have had on the show over the last two years. And a big thank you to all of you, my dear listeners who listen and promote this show, I thank you. Speaking of amazing guests, I have four of some of the most popular guests I've had on the show with us today. Retired F.B.I. Special Agent Jerry Williams, Retired Chicago Police Det. Lt. Richard Rybicki, Detective Adam Richardson of the Writers Detective Bureau, and founder of 20 Books to 50K, and LMBPN, Michael Anderle. We exchange ‘war stories' and give tips and hints for you writers out there. This episode was a lot of fun and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. In today's episode we discuss:· Some of the most shocking incidents that happened on the job. · Amusing stories that happened on the street and inside the police department.· Heartwarming stories that happened on the job and the human side of policing.· Author lessons learned in 2022 and what is in store for us in 2023, and how to prepare for these changes. · The importance of emotions in your characters, both good and bad. · Future and current projects and books that everyone is working on.All of this and more on today's episode of the Cops and Writers podcast.Visit Jerri Williams at her webiste!Check out Richar Rybicki's website!Michael Anderle of LMBPN's website!Head on over to Adam Richardson's headquarters!Check out Field Training (Brew City Blues Book 1)!!Enjoy the Cops and Writer's book series.Please visit the Cops and Writers website.If you have a question for the sarge, hit him up at his email.Join the fun at the Cops and Writers Facebook groupConsider buying me a coffee :-)Do you enjoy gritty, action-packed real-life police dramas to get your fill of blood, heartache, and cop humor, and maybe even a little romance? You've come to the right series! If you're a fan of Hill Street Blues, Southland, or Bosch you're going to love Brew City Blues! Book one, Field Training, and two, Probation, are now live, and book three, Choir Practice, is now on pre-order and will be available for purchase February 10, 2023. Exclusively on Amazon!Support the show
Become a Friend of the Show! – join our Patreon communityIt's our last episode of 2022 and we're reflecting on the year that was. We each share what made us laugh, cry, and curse this year. Plus what we spent too much time and/or money on and what made us proud. Finally, we listen to the messages we recorded for ourselves at the beginning of the year and see if what we predicted came true. Happy new year, friends! Thanks for spending time with us this past year and for all of the ways you support the show.Mentioned on the show:East Park Donuts in NashvilleThe Lost CityWhen Breath Becomes AirAnd Yet poetry collectionThe Book of LongingsMateo's Gourmet Salsa - mediumHerdez Guacamole Salsa - medium Become a Friend of the Show! – join our Patreon communityConnect with us on Instagram: @higirlsnextdoorSee show notes on our website: girlnextdoorpodcast.comWe love to get your emails: higirlsnextdoor@gmail.comYour reviews on Apple Podcasts really help the show - thank you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Heidi and Ellen take questions from Sue-Kate and Kate. Both have many Scorpio placements. Sue Kate is an actor, writer, and filmmaker. Her last few years have been filled with lots of flow. She asks how to raise her visibility moving forward (11:40). Kate is embarking on a new life adventure. She is starting business school in the spring but first, she wants to learn about commercial real estate- specifically adaptive reuse projects. She asks about ideas for confidence as she embarks on this new path (23:05). Ellen and Heidi talk about LOTS of movies and shows, including The Fablemans, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, The Crown, The HBO documentary Spielberg, White Lotus, The Swimmers, and Mammals. Ellen is also re-reading the beautiful book When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi (33:10).
Hey, you! Yeah, YOU! What are you doing reading this podcast description when you could be reading one of the books recommended by Medicus team members in our newest reading list episode?!?! Stop wasting time and get going! Content covered: Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson God's Hospital: A Doctor, a Hospital, and a Pilgrimage to the Heart of Medicine by Victoria Sweet “What I Would Give” by Rafael Campo (poem) When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza Doctor's Journey on the Road to Peace and Human Dignity by Izzeldin Abuelaish Being Mortal by Atul Gawande Many Lives, Many Masters by Brian Weiss Episode produced by: Brendan Connolly Contributors: Monica Contractor, Rasa Valiauga, Lauren Hekman, Isabelle Tan www.medicuspodcast.com | medicuspodcast@gmail.com | Donate: http://bit.ly/MedicusDonate --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/medicus/message
We discuss When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. Paul Kalanithi was a neurosurgeon who was diagnosed with lung cancer during the last year of his residency. In his memoir, Paul recounts his life before and after his diagnosis and searches for meaning as his passing approaches.
Dr. Mark Lewis and Dr. Jean Luc Neptune talk about how one of their most sacred responsibilities as doctors is to be brutally honest with their patients about what they can do and what they can't. They also share what we all can do to be as prepared as possible. They discuss the importance of living wills, health care proxies and normalizing death. When you welcome death as the natural endpoint, it makes it an approachable conversation.Tweet us your questions @marklewismd or @jeanlucneptune or email us at isitserious@offscrip.com or call us at 855-283-4666.SHOW NOTES: Book recommendations: When Breath Becomes Air by Paul KalanithiBeing Mortal by Atul GawandeCheck out The Heart of Healthcare, from OffScrip Healthhttps://offscrip.com/showsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Jade describes herself as a spiritual midwife. She spent the first 20 years of her professional life building a consulting business. When her mother was diagnosed with cancer Jade redirected her timme and energy to support her mother. Following her mother's death Jade spent years grieving, healing and recalibratinng her life. She said goodbye to the Bay Area and goodbye to consulting. For the 20 years since then Jade has been deepening her spiritual practice and fine tuning herself as an instrument of healing in the death and dying process. Jade reminds us that healing is not a rush job. As she puts it “you cannot force the river.” In order to become an instrument of healing, Jade first had to let herself heal, and in order to let herself heal, she moved from the fast lane to the slower pace of the Big Island and asked the ocean to hold her grief. This conversation winds and circles back on itself many times, just like the process of grieving. Jade's Reading List & Resources: AARP – Checklist for My Family: A Guide to My History, Financial Plans and Final Wishes; by Sally Balch Hurme, an Elder Law Attorney quoted frequently in NY Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, CNN, NPR, Kiplinger's Retirement Report. BJ MILLER, M.D. Ted Talks – What Really Matters at the End of Life https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=mcafee&ei=UTF-8&p=ted+talks+youtube+bj+miller&type=E211US105G0#id=1&vid=68dfedc905fc29bab4f13e4ce08afdc0&action=click Ira Byock, nationally renown palliative care specialist, M.D. – The Four Things That Matter Most: A Book about Living https://irabyock.org/books/the-four-things-that-matter-most/ Atul Gawande, M.D. – Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End http://atulgawande.com/book/being-mortal/ Paul Kalanithi, M.D. – When Breath Becomes Air https://www.amazon.com/When-Breath-Becomes-Paul-Kalanithi/dp/081298840X Katy Butler, award winning journalist - Knocking on Heaven's Door, The Art of Dying Well Joan Halifax, Founder and Director of Upaya Zen Center: Being with Dying: Cultivating Compassion & Wisdom in the Presence of Death. https://www.upaya.org/being-with-dying/ https://www.upaya.org/dox/Being_Dying.pdf Frank Ostaseski, visionary co- founder of SF Zen Hospice, Metta Institute - Five Invitations: Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully. This book is an evocative and relevant guide that points to a radical path for transforming the way we live. https://fiveinvitations.com/ the secret teacher hiding in plain sight, helping us Cathy Wurzer, founder of End in Mind: A movement that advocates to shift the fear-based cultural conversation about loss, death, dying, and provides curated resources to families and communities. https://www.endinmindproject.org/resources/ If you enjoyed this conversation, please leave a review in your podcast app. CancerTalks is a platform for anyone who has been touched by cancer. If you're moved to donate, please visit cancertalks.com/donate
This episode features conversations with people doing the best they can in difficult circumstances. Like Dr. Lucy Kalanithi, whose husband Dr. Paul Kalanithi was a notable and rising brain surgeon who wrote When Breath Becomes Air, a bestselling memoir about his fatal battle with cancer. And comedian Amber Tozer, who tells a funny and poignant story about walking in on her mother's wedding… on Christmas Day. We will also talk with some of the women of the Hot Young Widows Club on their hopes and dreams for the upcoming year. Plus, stories of people's worst Holidays ever.
This episode features conversations with people doing the best they can in difficult circumstances. Like Dr. Lucy Kalanithi, whose husband Dr. Paul Kalanithi was a notable and rising brain surgeon who wrote When Breath Becomes Air, a bestselling memoir about his fatal battle with cancer. And comedian Amber Tozer, who tells a funny and poignant story about walking in on her mother's wedding… on Christmas Day. We will also talk with some of the women of the Hot Young Widows Club on their hopes and dreams for the upcoming year. Plus, stories of people's worst Holidays ever. — Sign up today for TTFA Premium! For $7.99 a month, you get access to exclusive bonus content, ad-free episodes *and* the knowledge that you're keeping our show afloat! Visit TTFA.org/Premium to get started. Want (sporadic) emails from Nora and Team TTFA? Sign up here. When you shop our Bookshop.org store, you support the author, independent bookstores AND our show! Shop here. You can purchase Nora's books here. Shop for your favorite TTFA gear at TTFAmerch.com. Read the transcript for this episode here. You can catch up with TTFA on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook using @ttfapodcast. Nora's Instagram is @noraborealis.And check out our sponsors this week:Shutterfly: shutterfly.comHelp A Human Out: helpahumanout.coStill Kickin': stillkickin.co