Terminal Illness

World Wish Day 2012: Why Granting Wishes Isn't Just Nice -- It's Necessary

Paul Allvin | Posted 04.29.2012

Paul Allvin

Wishes that come true, parents say, create moments where the children regain their identities separate from illness, and take back enough control of their lives to force a return to normalcy for the entire family.

HEARTBREAKING 911 CALL: Man Shoots His Wife In The Head Because She 'Suffered Too Much'

The Huffington Post | Andy Campbell | Posted 03.22.2012

A Florida man shot and killed his wife while she was sleeping on Tuesday because he didn't want her to feel anymore pain. Randall Willis, 61, was a...

A Suicide by Any Other Name Is Still Suicide

Gayatri Devi, M.D. | Posted 05.05.2012

Gayatri Devi, M.D.

The dictionary defines suicide as "the act of taking one's own life voluntarily and intentionally." The intent was clear in both cases. Both John and Mary wanted to end their lives as quickly as possible. Why did the method matter?

It's Never Too Soon: Make Your Final Wishes Known

Glenn D. Braunstein, M.D. | Posted 04.28.2012

Glenn D. Braunstein, M.D.

There is a spectrum in the process of dying. It ranges from unbearable suffering for patients and their families to a reasonable quality of life in which symptoms are controlled until the end. Either way, survivors are left to grieve.

Coping with Terminal Illness: The Problem of Getting an Honest Prognosis

Joseph Nowinski, Ph.D. | Posted 04.14.2012

Joseph Nowinski, Ph.D.

On the one hand, we may be able to sympathize with doctors' reluctance to be the bearers of bad news, including the reality of imminent death. On the other hand, there may be some real negative consequences that result from their reticence.

When Does Grief Become Mental Illness?

Joseph Nowinski, Ph.D. | Posted 03.27.2012

Joseph Nowinski, Ph.D.

We should continue our cultural tradition of recognizing grief as a normal (and expected) human experience. If anything, the grieving person may benefit from support and sympathy, rather than being diagnosed as mentally ill and treated as such.

Confronting a Terminal Diagnosis as a Family

Joseph Nowinski, Ph.D. | Posted 03.19.2012

Joseph Nowinski, Ph.D.

The challenges that families must face when confronted with a terminal diagnosis of a loved one are complex. They include evolving new structures and dynamics as the person they love slowly slips away.

Tips for Talking to Children About Terminal Illness

Joseph Nowinski, Ph.D. | Posted 03.07.2012

Joseph Nowinski, Ph.D.

The ways in which children respond to a terminal diagnosis is shaped in large part by their social environment. Most prominent in this regard are parents, teachers, and family.

Easy Holiday Planning For Caregivers

Joseph Nowinski, Ph.D. | Posted 01.15.2012

Joseph Nowinski, Ph.D.

Family traditions are the glue that keep a family connected over time. They are also a way that families traditionally have weathered crises, including terminal illness in a loved one.

A New Kind Of Reinvention: Coping With A Disability

Pamela Poole | Posted 01.08.2012

Pamela Poole

It's harder to reinvent yourself if your friends and family resist! So if you're close to someone with a sudden disability, try not to make it more difficult for him by refusing to let him break in his new shoes.

Yes, There Is An Upside To Being Terminally Ill

Hillary St. Pierre | Posted 12.27.2011

Hillary St. Pierre

Even though I have the label "terminally ill," I know my chances and my time is what I make it. Medical knowledge has been doubling every ten years and maybe, just maybe, I'll be here when my cure comes.

Thinking About a Nursing Home for Your Loved One? Consider This.

Joseph Nowinski, Ph.D. | Posted 11.29.2011

Joseph Nowinski, Ph.D.

If you are in the position of thinking about nursing home placement, consider the following findings, which come from the "horse's mouth" as it were: the staff who work in these places.

How To Cope With A Terminally Ill Loved One

Joseph Nowinski, Ph.D. | Posted 10.08.2011

Joseph Nowinski, Ph.D.

Increasingly, sudden or quick death as the norm is being replaced with a lengthy process that only begins with a terminal diagnosis that marks the beginning of a long, winding and grueling crisis.

'Don't Plead With Me Not To Die'

Rev. Dr. Martha R. Jacobs | Posted 08.03.2011

Rev. Dr. Martha R. Jacobs

If God did not mean for us to live forever and did not indicate that longevity beats out quality, doesn't it make sense that when someone is dying the expectation would be to encourage them to let go?

Complementary Cancer Treatments: Which Is For You?

Joseph Nowinski, Ph.D. | Posted 07.30.2011

Joseph Nowinski, Ph.D.

If these complementary therapies all have the power to reduce chronic stress and depression, could they not -- in combination with medical treatment -- potentially improve the prognosis and extend the lives of cancer patients?

Alternative And Complementary Treatments For Cancer

Joseph Nowinski, Ph.D. | Posted 06.17.2011

Joseph Nowinski, Ph.D.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) maintains and regularly updates library that provides information on the effectiveness of "alternative and complem...

What To Expect When A Loved One Receives A Terminal Diagnosis

Joseph Nowinski, Ph.D. | Posted 11.17.2011

Joseph Nowinski, Ph.D.

Diseases and conditions that once proved quickly fatal no longer are. Instead, individuals and their families are increasingly likely to find themselves mired in a protracted process that only begins with a diagnosis.

The Plane Ride Home From Houston

Carol Jones | Posted 11.17.2011

Carol Jones

We had taken the doctor's advice to leave Houston for home as soon as possible while Kenny could still fly on a commercial plane.

'Death Panels' And Patients' Choice: How Should We Talk About Dying?

Janice Van Dyck | Posted 11.17.2011

Janice Van Dyck

We need to separate the idea of advance care planning -- which is all about our own choice -- from the horned devil known as government-rationed care -- which is about someone else's choice for us.

Thanks for November

Nancy Davis | Posted 11.17.2011

Nancy Davis

No one knows better the relief of November, than 160,000 women and men living with Stage IV Breast Cancer. To date 40,000 will have passed by year end...

The Untold Truths of a Teen With Cancer

Valerie Sobel | Posted 05.25.2011

Valerie Sobel

You will find that the third place winner of the Andre Sobel Essay contest, Arianna Elnes, could have easily been the first.

The New Grief: When Your Family Can't Cope With Your Diagnosis

Joseph Nowinski, Ph.D. | Posted 11.17.2011

Joseph Nowinski, Ph.D.

What we call "the new grief" begins when a family member learns that he or she has a terminal or potentially terminal illness. Receiving that kind of diagnosis confronts families with a distinct type of crisis.

Andre Sobel Essay Award Winner: 'Chai'

Valerie Sobel | Posted 05.25.2011

Valerie Sobel

Through our annual Andre Sobel Essay Award, we ask teen survivors of catastrophic illness to reflect on how illness has changed them. I am very proud to present the work of Colette Jaycox, our second place winner.

Talking to Doctors About a Terminal Diagnosis

Judith Johnson | Posted 11.17.2011

Judith Johnson

You have a right to your own point of view and your own beliefs and preferences regarding the end of your life's journey.

Hospice and Healing

Jeanne Dennis | Posted 11.17.2011

Jeanne Dennis

Those of us in hospice care see one's final days as a continuous part of life's journey, not a land wholly separate and apart. The language and customs are familiar, not foreign, and the travelers are not strangers but are essentially like us.