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Monday Hearts for Madalene
Page Hodel creates beautiful hearts as a tribute to lasting loveIt’s an honor for SevenPonds to share with our readers the story of the Monday Hearts for Madalene project, a true account of the power of enduring love.The project began in 2005, when Page Hodel first met Madalene Rodriguez and fell “instantly, dizzyingly in love with her.” Soon afterwards, Page began leaving handmade hearts on…
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Broken Heart Syndrome and Dying Together – Or Not
Finding meaning in a couple’s life and death journeyThere are numerous touching stories about broken heart syndrome, in which long-time couples die moments or days apart. The family is sad, but comforted by the belief that “they wanted to be together” at the end. Like many, I love these stories and often anticipate the quick death of the surviving spouse following the death of…
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How Do We Improve Communication About Palliative Care? (Interview)
An interview with palliative care physician Dr. Steven Pantilat, Part OneToday, SevenPonds speaks with Dr. Steven Pantilat, a San Francisco-based healthcare professional with an expertise in palliative care. Dr. Pantilat teaches at UCSF, and consults with hospitals and other healthcare facilities on the best methods for improving communication about palliative care. His goal is to help doctors communicate more effectively with patients, allowing patients to…
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The Messenger: Doctors and End-of-Life Conversations
How can healthcare professionals learn to better communicate about end-of-life issues with terminal patients?How do you tell someone that they’re dying? Telling someone they have a terminal illness is a regular part of the job for some doctors. Yet, the folks behind the Alive Institute initiative believe that many healthcare professionals aren’t adequately trained to handle these incredibly difficult and sensitive end-of-life conversations. Alive Institute was launched by…
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“Monday Hearts for Madalene” by Page Hodel
A book of 100 hearts created as a tribute to lasting loveSince 2014, SevenPonds has featured the art of Page Hodel on our blog. We’ve told the story behind her beautiful handmade hearts — a story of a brief, intense love affair that ended in heartbreak and changed Page’s life forever. It’s a sad story, but also an uplifting one, in that it shows us how…
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“Do You Realize??”
The Flaming Lips want us to wonder, “What’s really important in life?”The Flaming Lips’ heartfelt song “Do You Realize??” is also, perhaps, their most well-known. With nearly 4,000,000 views on YouTube, “Do You Realize??” asks us to think about life and how short it can be. It also urges us to experience life as best we can, and understand that its fleeting nature should inspire us…
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A Decrease in Life Expectancy Could Impact Pensions
With more Americans dying young, retirement benefits could changeDespite many medical advances in recent decades, American’s life expectancy is on the decline. Two studies by the National Center for Health Statistics found that more Americans are dying at younger ages (under the age of 65) than in the past two decades. And this change in life expectancy could impact pensions and other retirement benefits…
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“I’m Here”
A dead mother speaks to her child from the grave“I’m Here” is a poem by James P. Graham. The author was just 17 when his mother died, and his little sister was 3. He wrote “I’m Here” so that his sister could remember their mother and how much she loved her children. Graham wrote the poem in first person from the mother’s point of…
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