-
“Kyrie” by Ellen Bryant Voigt
Ellen Bryant Voigt’s sonnet sequence on the post-WWI Influenza of 1918Few may be familiar with the Influenza of 1918. Although it took half a million lives in the U.S. and 25 million worldwide, most of whom were young adults, the pandemic somehow eludes due emphasis in our history books. One sees why. As an epilogue to the First World War, what else could it do…
/
-
“I want to die like my father, peacefully in his sleep, not screaming and terrified, like his passengers.”
– Bob MonkhouseMore from Laughter is Medicine: Selective Reading Miracle Max’s Expert Advice “To lose one parent may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness”
/
-
Restoring Coral Reefs through Sea Burial
Eternal Reefs rebuild ecosystems with cremated remainsFrom pyramids to space burial, technology informs the rituals by which we memorialize our losses. Now we can do so while simultaneously restoring fragile, diminishing ecosystems. Imagine literally turning death into vibrant, dense sea life with layers of coral and schools of fish. Eternal Reefs (check out our interview with their founder) provides this form of…
/
-
A No-Fear Approach to Death
Terminally ill doctor Stephen Wealthall explains why he has no fear of death, or any of the usual regrets of the dyingDeath — and the sadness it invokes — lurk in the back of our minds as the inevitable, fearsome couplet of our life’s story. We have a concept of the trajectory of our days: they begin at birth and coast on for decades, varied by ups-and-downs and slowed by old age. Thinking about end of…
/
-
The Paper Clip Project: A Holocaust Memorial
What 30 million paper clips mean in memorializing the Jews in WWIIIn 1998, a group of students at Tennessee’s Whitwell Middle School began a unit of study on World War II and the Holocaust. The enormity of the Holocaust resonated with the students, who came to understand the frightening potential of humans on a new level of profundity. How could the Nazis rob so many of…
/
-
What’s the Link Between Wisdom & Alzheimer’s in Old Age? (Interview)
Laura Anthony talks about fostering wisdom and growth in the midst of dementia and old ageToday, SevenPonds speaks with Laura Anthony, a public health professional living in Bradenton, Florida. Laura earned her Bachelor’s in Health Science from SUNY Cortland in 1985, and her Master’s in Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1988. Ever since then, Laura has been passionate about improving the quality of…
/
-
“Final Exit: The Practicalities of Self-Deliverance and Assisted Suicide for the Dying.”
A useful guide for terminally ill and dying patients, their loved ones and the physicians willing to risk their careers to help them die with dignityAs a guide, Final Exit by Derek Humphry blends many styles of writing to advise terminally ill people who want to die with dignity and those who support and take care of them. Final Exit is part instruction manual, part memoir. As the founder of the Hemlock Society, Derek Humphry often writes what seems like propaganda. The…
/
-
When Convenience Meets Funerals
Drive-thru funerals slowly becoming an option geared towards African-Americans in the USAmericans relish the freedom to choose how to cope with the deaths of loved ones as well as the types of funerals with which honor them. It’s hardly surprising that a culture which embraces any new convenience, such as fast food and smartphones, would also welcome the drive-thru funeral, in which no one needs to leave their cars…
/
-
End of Life Care Scare: Passages Hospice Charged with Fraud
Illinois’ Seth Gillman over-extended his patients’ care, costing the government a lot of moneySeth Gillman of Lincolnwood, Illinois has been charged with health care fraud for manipulating the end of life care needs of his patients. The owner of hospice and end of life care center Passages, Gillman told his nurses to exaggerate the gravity of care for patients – which would more than triple the cost of…
/
Want an Easier Way to Plan a Memorial Event? Get our FREE guide
“7 Ways to Create an Amazing Celebration of Life”
