Chapter One: Solace
Learning to give and receive comfort and care is one of the ultimate gifts of being alive. Bearing witness to the full range of human experience, speakers from all walks of life share the tough truths and tender triumphs of staying fully present for ourselves and others in the face of illness, grief and loss.
Learning To Ask
Atul Gawande, MD, MPH
Physician and writer, Atul Gawande’s groundbreaking 2014 book Being Mortal remains an important examination of many of the structures and assumptions that are now failing under the stress of COVID19. A foundational voice in the movement to reclaim dying as a human experience, Atul shares his perspective on why it’s more important than ever to face our own mortality as we imagine life in a post-pandemic world.
Everybody Hurts
Maria Shriver and Claire Bidwell Smith
When you look at the person standing in front of you in line do you ever think they might be grieving? Chances are they are, and that you are as well. Coming from places of profound personal loss, Maria Shriver and Claire Bidwell Smith reflect on the complexities of grief—whether for a person, animal or the life you thought you were going to have—and how it can be met through kindness, compassion and grace.
Brave Listening
Maya Scott, MSW
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 end of their lives; it’s the rest of us who must be strong enough to listen.
Guided By Voices
Christopher Kerr, MD, PhD
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.
Dying Before Dying
Reverend Paula Stone Williams
There was no ceremony to say goodbye to the man Paula Stone Williams was before she transitioned to being a woman. Despite being a pastor by training, Paula was unprepared for the despair this death before death triggered for her and those she loved. Combining tremendous honesty and expansive spirituality, Paula offers comfort at a time when many of us are mourning the loss of who we once were while searching for a way forward.
Body And Soul
Stephen Satterfield with Osayi Endolyn and Thérèse Nelson
Guided by a belief that food nourishes both body and soul, Stephen Satterfield, Osayi Endolyn and Thérèse Nelson share insights into how what we eat connects us to those we love, honors the legacy of those who came before and flavors our hopes and dreams for the future. As cooks, writers and activists, these three dynamic voices offer a vision for individual and community wellness and resilience centered around the gathering, preparing and sharing of food.
Can’t Explain (But, I’ll Try)
Roger Daltrey
Known for his wildly energetic performances, The Who’s lead singer, 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 to this day.
Dispatches From Quarantine
Larry King, Marion Ross, Marla Gibbs, Norman Lear, John Amos And Carl Reiner
Filmmakers Noam Dromi and Tiffany Woolf asked some of our most beloved actors to share thoughts from their homes about lives lived mostly in public. Larry King, Marion Ross, Marla Gibbs, Norman Lear, John Amos and Carl Reiner responded with hilarious and heartfelt stories full of grit, stamina and resilience. Their secret to a life well-lived? Keep on keeping on—with humor and love as your guides.
Chapter 2: Solidarity
How do we stand in solidarity, particularly with those whose lives we can’t fully imagine? We can begin by listening. Reaching across time, distance and difference, these speakers are committed to shaping a culture of care and guiding us towards a more equitable world where everyone can live with respect and dignity through to their end.
We Are Family
Blair Underwood, Frank Underwood, Jr. and Marlo Underwood
How do far-flung family members support loved-ones navigating the physical and emotional reality of providing in-person care? Actor Blair Underwood, his brother Frank Underwood, Jr. and sister Marlo Underwood share the struggles and joys of being remote versus being on the ground as their parents’ caregivers. While there’s no easy answer; by keeping dignity, respect and joy at the center of care this tight-knit family tackles challenges both big and small.
The Price We Pay
Fumiko Chino, MD
Oncologist and researcher, Fumiko Chino, knows firsthand the emotional and financial devastation of losing a loved one. A graphic artist when her husband became ill and died, she made the arduous journey to becoming a doctor so she could help change the system from within. Deploying data and story, Fumiko makes a powerful case that it shouldn’t take a life savings to try and save a life.
Survivor Guilt
Justin Baldoni in conversation with Prince Aidoo, Steven Heaviside, Angeliki Pelehrinis
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, Steven Heaviside and Angeliki Pelehrinis, about surviving survivorship and honoring those they lost along the way.
Stuck In The Middle
Aisha Adkins
Family caregiver and advocate, Aisha Adkins, shares the complexities of caring for her mother while pursuing her own dreams and ambitions. With her sights set on transforming the structures and systems that fail to foster support for her life and that of other millennial caregivers, Aisha provides a persuasive argument that our collective future as a global community depends on getting things right for younger generations caught between caring for others and taking care of themselves.
Show (Up) Time!
Andy Cohen
Pop culture figure Andy Cohen’s recovery from COVID19 left him determined to reshape the conversation around illness, loss and grief. With his signature candor and finger on the pulse, Andy suggests we might all get a little bit better at showing up for others.
Living Data
Abigail Echo-Hawk, MA and Camille Burnett PhD, MPA, PHNA-BC, RN, BSN, DSW
COVID19 has taken a disproportionate toll on the American Indian and Alaskan Native populations. This comes as no surprise to Indian health researcher Abigail Echo-Hawk who talks with health policy expert Dr. Camille Burnett about systems and structures that have put generations of Black, Indigenous and people of color at great risk. Coming to the answer from different directions, they both believe that flipping narratives to those of strength and survival can have asurable impact on the health and wellness of these historically resilient communities.
Monumental Love
Hank Willis Thomas, MA/MFA
Citizen and artist, Hank Willis Thomas has long been fascinated by the power monuments and memorials have to shape and define culture. With great attention to the narratives that are not being told, his sculptures reframe public spaces into places for private contemplation and civic engagement. Grounded in universal themes of hope, love and unity, Hank’s artwork asks us to participate in a future where all people and their stories are celebrated and shared.
Sounds Of Caring: New York
Yoko Sen
Sound artist Yoko Sen has an extraordinary capacity to listen. Most recently, she has been listening to health care workers at Northwell Health, a New York-based health system that has cared for the most COVID-19 patients in the country. Filled with pain, exhaustion, hope and love, these voices offer an intimate glimpse into the courage and commitment on which our healthcare system so deeply depends.
Chapter 3: Solutions
Top-down, bottom-up or side-by-side, solutions can come from all directions. In order to be effective, however, we must meet people and systems where they are, building trust and collaboration along the way. In other words, we have to learn to love the complicated beauty of others and have compassion for the ways people cope with a chaotic and messy world.
It’s Okay To Not Be Okay
Taraji P. Henson
The shame and confusion surrounding mental health issues is well known to actress Taraji P. Henson, whose father struggled with mental illness after returning from a tour of duty in Vietnam. As individuals and communities face continued systemic injustice and mistreatment of people of color, Taraji’s work to destigmatize mental illness and provide culturally sensitive care to African-Americans is of great service to us all.
Funding At The Edges
Peggy Maguire
Funding innovator and President of Cambia Health Foundation Peggy Maguire is fearless in her approach to philanthropy; she goes straight to the really tough stuff. This philosophy has led Peggy and her team to nurture dynamic real-world solutions including bringing palliative care to the streets and into prisons, and how to address end of life trauma for transgender people. Effective in and of itself, Peggy finds that by looking at how to serve our most vulnerable we can better support everyone—no matter where they are in their lives.
Gimme More Than Shelter
Naheed Dosani, MD
The pressures that force people to live insecurely often begin far before the day they lose their homes. Physician Naheed Dosani believes that delivering palliative care to those on the street or in shelters requires understanding and treating the full person behind their immediate circumstances. Radical in its simplicity but terrifically hard to do in models centered on disease, Naheed’s work challenges us to reform our systems so we may restore the relationship between compassion and care.
Nobody Should Be Alone
Sonali Wilborn, MD, MBA in conversation with Matt Richtel
At the start of the pandemic, patients dying with COVID-19 were forced to face the end of life alone. Defying the cruel conviction that isolation is the only way to keep family and providers safe, palliative care physician Sonali Wilborn and her team created an inpatient hospice unit for COVID19 patients—in just eight days. This groundbreaking effort allowed over eighty patients and their families to receive the benefit of specialized end of life care, providing a compelling example for other systems to follow.
Falling In Love
Joseph Schneier
Serial entrepreneur Joseph Schneier has spent two decades finding and solving audacious problems. His current quest is to ensure no older adult goes bankrupt because of out-of-pocket health care expenses. Bringing head and heart into the process, Joseph offers a model of enlightened entrepreneurship that suggests if we meet people where they are, we are more likely to help them get to where they want to be.
Open The Door
Justin Baldoni in conversation with Laura Sobiech
Laura Sobiech and Justin Baldoni met during the most difficult of circumstances, her son, Zach, was dying from osteosarcoma. They quickly connected over a shared belief that by making room for grace, the unexpected can happen. Laura’s mantra, “open the door and I will follow” has led her to become a tremendous advocate for research into rare disease and a guide for other families facing the serious illness or loss of a child.
Every Word Counts
Nora McInerny
For most of us, an obituary is the last public record of our life, yet we rely on others to write it. Author and reluctant grief expert Nora McInerny thinks this is just plain weird. She shares why she and her first husband, Aaron, co-wrote his obituary and how being a bit loose with the facts of his life got to the truth of his existence. Funny, irreverent and full of love, this obituary went viral and stands as a testament to why writing our ending is good practice for being alive.
Visual Healing
Louie Schwartzberg
After decades of hearing from viewers that his images of nature changed their lives, filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg embarked on a mission to develop Visual Healing, a new modality of care. This innovative program transforms stark spaces into life-like natural environments that connect viewers with the transcendent beauty of the natural world. With several research studies underway, Louie is working closely with healthcare providers to better understand how images of nature may be introduced into clinical care to help lessen physical, emotional and existential distress.
No Excuses
Mark Ganz
COVID19 has exposed longstanding injustices within our society, not least when it comes to safety, health and wellness. Health care innovator and change agent Mark Ganz offers a bracing call to action for leadership at every level to address institutional, cultural and individual biases that perpetuate racism and inequities in access and care. On the eve of retirement, Mark shares his legacy of innovation so that everyone may live well through to their natural end.
When The Saints Go Marching In
Mike Phillips and Friends
Legendary saxophonist Mike Phillips is joined by over a dozen incredible musicians for a New Orleans-style second line tribute to the lives we’ve lost this year and the love we hope to take forward from these difficult times.