When Breath Becomes Air

By Paul Kalanithi For readers of Atul Gawande, Andrew Solomon, and Anne Lamott, this inspiring, exquisitely observed memoir finds hope and beauty in the face of insurmountable odds as an idealistic young neurosurgeon attempts to answer the question What makes a life worth living? Buy the book online here.

Being Mortal

By Atul Gawande For most of human history, death was a common, ever-present possibility. It didn’t matter whether you were five or fifty – every day was a roll of the dice. But now, as medical advances push the boundaries of survival further each year, we have become increasingly detached from the reality of being
Stock of books and a cup of tea on a window sill at home

What should medicine do when it can’t save your life?

By Atul Gawande People have concerns besides simply prolonging their lives. Surveys of patients with terminal illness find that their top priorities include, in addition to avoiding suffering, being with family, having the touch of others, being mentally aware, and not becoming a burden to others. Our system of technological medical care has utterly failed

Palliative care – Never mind the money

An open letter by Dr Margie Venter I suppose it happens to everyone. That question that starts the conversation – ‘so what do you do?’ But unfortunately, oncology is quite a gloomy conversation starter. Although it gets everyone talking, I get bored when it evolves into an epidemiological discussion like: “What do you think –