"Write Your Best Chapter"

As a little kid, did you look at people who were older and wondered about how their hair turned gray? Andrea did. Then she grew up to become a gerontologist because she loved to really study them. She ended up serving that vulnerable section of our society with so much heart and authenticity. Now she lives in Georgia working as a Marketing Director for a local Hospice agency. She shares her story with us today.

Why is a chaplain here?

I often hear that when we walk into a patient's room for a palliative care consultation. What is "Existential Distress"? I have been wanting to share the importance of chaplaincy and their work surrounding end of life care. Fred Grewe is a master story teller to help me do just that.

Sailing and Slow Travel. What is on your bucket list? There is so much we want to do with our lives until the very end. Some things are easy to keep doing, other things not so much. We talk about the first and last time I felt my father's dialysis thrill. Also, what it means to offer dialysis no matter how much time we have to live. Is it the right decision? Dr. Samra shares her amazing journey into medicine and answers my questions.

I had the absolute pleasure of taking part in a workshop led by Eckhart Tolle on Winter Solstice on December 2020. I wanted to hear about his take about how we should manage our emotions around this much death and suffering around times of pandemic. I can't think of any other joy than having him quote my all time favorite book: The Little Prince. Enjoy this treat.

We will all be hit by a serious illness diagnosis one day. How will we take that news? In a very heart touching episode, my dear friend and colleague, Dr. Sonal Haerter, shares her story of her father in law whom she lovingly calls her Dad. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and lived his life more than ever before. He taught her "The Value of Here and Now". She shares his story.

In a very special Christmas episode, I want to share with you one of my more popular blog posts titled "Alicia". While the details of the story of the patient is changed to protect his identity, Alicia is an actual person who was an angel personified that day for me. If you got to know her, you would agree with my assessment. I want us all to take a moment and appreciate oncology nurses during this time of the year. They are truly our unsung heroes.

What do you want to be when you grow up? What if that wouldn't give you much joy and you wanted to shift gears? My special guest today is a wildly popular financial blogger who happened to be a practicing anesthesiologist until very recently. Instead of buying into "The Sunk Cost Fallacy", he decided to pivot and creatively help the world in a totally different way-all while slow traveling the world with his wife and young children. I know you will love his story.

What if your beauty routine was owning one lipstick? I was asked to discuss financial matters that relate to handling end of life. Do we live our bucket list and spend money because of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) or do we save money for the rainy days ahead and appreciate JOMO (Joy of Missing Out)? I share my perspective of "Save and Savor" as far as relating to my attitude regarding finance and intentional spending. I think this attitude would serve us well whether we are of good health or heading into the end of our lives.

It is unbelievable. Truly, if you have never heard of it, you may be thinking this is an urban legend or conspiracy theory of sorts. I wish your intuition was right. In a stranger than fiction episode, let Dr. Gilcrease tell you about the atrocities of a government that forcefully removes organs of its prisoners of conscience to sell to the rest of the world. Prepare to be shocked and find yourself running to fact check this episode.

Check out www.DAFOH.org

I wonder why is it that the oncologists are often the "Last Man" standing? When patients have no more options for life prolonging measures, they still want the final word to come from their oncologists and not their own free will. Dr. Gilcrease masterfully answers these difficult questions that we all struggle with. In a very heart felt episode, he shares all his highs and lows caring for his dying patients in the most compassionate way possible.