Being Mortal

contentsbackedupthere;theotherwelaidintheopen abdominalcavitytoemptythefluidoutsidehergut.Then we closed up, and we were done. I ...

Shesaidshedidn’tlikeallthecontraptionsstickingout ofher.Thetubeswereuncomfortablewheretheypoked outofherbelly.“Ididn’tknowthatth ...

goesonitiswithinnarrowerandnarrowerconfines.A fewconclusionsbecomeclearwhenweunderstandthis: thatourmostcruelfailureinhowwetreat ...

philosophicaldistinctionbetweengivingpeopletheright tostopexternalorartificialprocessesthatprolongtheir livesandgivingthemtherig ...

authorityisemployed. IntheNetherlands,forinstance, the system has existed for decades, faced no serious opposition,andsignifican ...

seeingapsychiatristandgaveherabookon“howtolet goofyourpain.”But imagingfinallyrevealedthatshe hadafive-inchsarcoma,araresoft-tis ...

phoning from the hospital. Peg had beenadmitted for severaldays.Heputhiscellonspeakersoshecouldtalk. She sounded weak—there were ...

Someinherposition,offered“deathwithdignity,”might havetakenitastheonlychanceforcontrolwhennoother optionsseemedapparent.Martinan ...

Atfirst,hergoalwasjustmanagingherdailydifficulties. Thehospiceteamsetupahospitalbedonthefirstfloor soshewouldn’thavetonavigateth ...

otherhercurrentstudents,allchildreninmiddleschool and highschool. Gatheredtogetherin her livingroom, theyplayedBrahms,Dvořák,Cho ...

what seemed like a new, imperfect, but manageable steadystate.Betweenmymother,thevarioushelpersshe hadarranged,andhisownsteelwil ...

worthlivingfor.Andastheweeksstretchedintomonths, it seemed like he could continue this way a long time. In retrospect, there wer ...

Atul.” She wasin thehospital emergency room. “His blood pressure is fifty. He’s still not waking up. His oxygenislow.”Themedical ...

abouttoboardhertrainintowork.Shewasnotreadyfor the news, either. “Howcoulditbe?”sheasked.“Arewecertainhecan’t return to how he w ...

said.He’dawoken inseverepainbutthemedicalstaff wouldn’tgivehimenoughmedicationtostopit,fearing hemightloseconsciousnessagain.Ias ...

That was harder to achieve than it would seem. Just urinating,forinstance, proveda problem.Hisparalysis had advancedfrom justthe ...

third day, he’d become unarousable again for long periods.Thequestionbecamewhethertokeepgivinghim hisregulardoseofliquidmorphine ...

chest. Then there’d be silence for what seemed like forever before the cycle would start up again. Wegotusedtoit.Helaywithhishan ...

“What are you thinking?” I asked. “I’mthinkinghowtonotprolongtheprocessofdying. This—this food prolongs the process.” My mom did ...

remembered. He was at peace in sleep, not in wakefulness.Andwhathewantedforthefinallinesof his story,nowthat nature waspressing ...