Being Mortal

Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End

by Atul Gawande

Death… it comes to everyone at some point, either suddenly or through a long disease.  I have experienced them both in my life.  My brother was killed in a motorcycle accident when I was nineteen years old.  He was vibrant and living a wonderful life and it happened instantaneously, whereas my sister struggled through cancer for 4+ years.  Neither is easy.  This RA Favorite book, Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End, focuses on how we plan our final days.  It is written by a physician, Atul Gawande, and he intersperses his own family story of a parent at the end of their life. He also tells of a number of patients who teach him how to be a better doctor when it comes to a diagnosis that needs conversation and thoughtful decision making.  He begins the book with a discussion on how America has turned away from the elderly, where families look for nursing homes/assisted living and other venues to place their loved ones.  This is in sharp contrast with many countries where families keep their elders with them through their final days.  The book continues with how medicine has increased the life span of people today coupled with improved hygiene and how we filtrate water/sewage.  The most meaningful chapters for me include the idea of how we think through our end-of-life decision making.  Having experienced two instances in my family where that didn’t seem to happen as openly as it could have, I recommend everyone think through what your “goal” is when faced with a life-altering surgery, path for medication, or procedure that might end or substantially change how you live.  What outcome will be right for you?  Dr. Gawande is compassionate and shares his own failures and how he has improved patient conversations.  Letting go is not easy.  We all have a time to live and a time to die.  How do you want that time to work best for you?  Not an easy book to get through, but it is done with impeccable judgement and clarity.  Thank you, Dr. Gawande.  Add to your list, but do so when you have a clear mind and not faced with tough decisions.