Tig Notaro wants to destigmatize cancer conversations
Comedian Tig Notaro shares her journey with breast cancer, from diagnosis to dealing with stigmas around difficult conversations about illness.
Harry Hudson: A young songwriter’s cancer journey
Singer Harry Hudson was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma at 20. Harry reflects on the hurdles he faced during this time and the impact on his brother, Remington.
What a doctor learned from taking psychedelic medicine | Anthony Back
Anthony Back, the 1st physician to publish a firsthand account of psychedelic meds, leads a clinical trial into the benefits of psilocybin-assisted therapy for clinicians experiencing burnout.
Holding space for a beautiful death | Hui-wen Sato
Hui-wen Sato, pediatric ICU nurse and cancer survivor shares how she creates compassionate spaces of healing for patients, families and the people who care for them.
Hospice and Jimmy Carter’s Legacy
This February, as the nation commemorated Presidents’ Day, we also marked a noteworthy occasion for one of our leaders: Jimmy Carter, the country’s oldest living former president at 99, has now surpassed a year in hospice care. Through this time, Carter is showing us the value of hospice in ending life well. President Carter’s choice highlights […]
End Well Stories: Touching Life
by Addie Hahn, Hospice Massage Therapist “When I tell people what I do for a living, they often respond with sympathy. “That must be so sad!” My client lay under a pale duvet in her bedroom at the top of a creaking staircase in an old Victorian house. Her smile was both warm and weary […]
An Interview with Chaplain Devin Moss – Updated
Devin Sean Moss is an atheist chaplain and the host of The Adventures of Memento Mori podcast. Soon after our symposium, Phillip Hancock, who Moss spoke about on our stage, was executed by the state of Oklahoma. See Moss’s End Well talk about this experience HERE. You can also read more about the journey in […]
Bridging the Divide: An Interview with Pediatric Nurse Hui-wen Sato
In this intimate conversation, our guest, a seasoned pediatric ICU nurse, delves deep into the juxtaposition of her unique professional backdrop with the broader end-of-life conversation. Hear more from Hui-wen Sato at the End Well Symposium on November 16th in Los Angeles. “I think the most significant societal belief about death and dying that needs to […]
Rick Doblin Shares How Psychedelics Ease Suffering At End Of Life
While still in college, Rick Doblin dedicated his life to researching and championing psychedelics as medicines for therapeutic and personal growth. Through his work as a therapist, Rick has had the privilege to witness the impact psychedelics have made at the end of his clients’ lives and now offers us a vision for how we […]
Every Life Is Valuable Through To The End
Author of four books and innumerable sermons, Rabbi Steve Leder considers the joys and sorrows of the human condition and shares his faith in the human potential for growth through our very last days.
Letting Go Of Expectations During Illness
Bereaved mother and osteosarcoma research funder, Laura Sobiech, met Justin Baldoni when her son, Zach, was dying from cancer. Listen in as they discuss Zach’s hit song Clouds and the movie Justin made to honor Zach’s decision to forgo invasive treatment and live to the fullest during the final months of his life.
Surviving Survivor Guilt
For young people with cancer, the support of others with the disease is often the lifeline that keeps them going. Yet the painful reality is that some of the friends they made during treatment don’t survive. Actor, director and producer Justin Baldoni talks with three young adults who have lived with cancer, Prince Aidoo, Stephen […]
The Who’s Roger Daltrey On How Almost Dying Brought Him Peace
Known for his wildly energetic performances, The Who’s Roger Daltrey was stopped short in 2015 by a severe case of viral meningitis. In the midst of excruciating pain and a grim prognosis, what he found to his surprise was peace. Roger shares how being so close to death gave him a perspective that provides comfort […]
The Dreams Of The Dying
Research shows that the majority of dying patients experience vivid and comforting dreams and visions of their dead loved ones. Physician and neurobiologist Christopher Kerr shares patient stories and offers a comforting conclusion for these physically distant times: No matter how physically isolated, the dying are not alone at the end of their lives.
Brave Listening: Inviting Others To Say What Can Be Hard To Hear
One of the most poignant memories social worker and palliative care advocate Maya Scott has of her young daughter is when she told her parents she wanted no further medical treatment for her terminal condition. This wisdom, from a child who was not yet six, reminds us that patients often know their wishes towards the […]
The Paradox Of Vulnerability
A visionary in end of life care, Frank Ostaseski, shares how his series of recent strokes and the sudden switch in roles from caregiver to care-receiver have deepened his understanding of the surprising ways vulnerability can unlock personal resilience and cultivate compassion for oneself and others.
How death doulas help us navigate end of life care | End Well
Alua Arthur (founder, Going with Grace) shares how death doulas guide clients to their vision of death, while gaining insight into how they want to be remembered.
Living While Dying, A Contingency Plan
Patient advocate and philosopher Adam Hayden has survived with glioblastoma far longer than most. Adam shares what he’s learned living in the uncharted territory between prognosis and practice and the challenges of navigating the promise of individualized medicine within a one-size fits all healthcare system.
Understanding The Basics Of End Of Life Care
Physician and palliative care advocate Aditi Mallick explains what palliative care and hospice are and how we might extend these important models of care to everyone with serious illness and at end of life.
Patient Advocacy And Physician Empowerment
Attorney, cancer survivor, and patient advocate Meg Gaines has seen how insurance denials, unexpected out-of-network costs, and unsympathetic employers can prevent people from getting quality care. Meanwhile, clinician dropout, depression, and suicide are mounting within the medical community. Meg believes that only if patients, communities, and clinicians work together can we heal our ailing healthcare […]
Pediatric Palliative Care And The Value Of Thoughtful Communication
The quality of the end of a life of the very ill child deeply impacts family, friends and clinicians and can carry long-term consequences, especially for those who believe care could have gone better. Pediatric palliative care nurse and researcher Pam Hinds shares her learning about the value of thoughtful communication with the ill child […]
How Bias In Healthcare Nearly Killed Me
Certain she had breast cancer but dismissed by her physician, activist Bridgette Hempstead was forced to fight to get the testing she needed. In the aftermath of her treatment, she founded a community organization to enable other women of color to gain access to health education and quality care and to overcome the cultural biases […]
How Psychedelics Can Offer Transcendence At End Of Life
Existential despair, anxiety and depression are all too common at the end of life. Psychologist Anthony Bossis conducts FDA-approved research to understand how, through a single psilocybin-induced therapeutic experience, these symptoms might be alleviated or even transformed – into acceptance, enhanced wellbeing and personal meaning.
Who Said Talking About Mortality Can’t Be Funny?
Drawing on his experience of living with cystic fibrosis, Jeremie Saunders, co-presenter of the Sickboy podcast, brings real people with life-altering illnesses to a growing audience. In an unparalleled combination of what he calls “bro-science,” humor, and compassion, Saunders inspires us to move beyond euphemism and platitude to speak directly of the things that matter […]