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Amy’s Choice
How My Family Honored My Sister’s Wish to Die at HomeThe following is an account of how my family coped with the death of my sister Amy in our own way by having a home funeral. My sister Amy battled breast cancer for many years. Wanting to aid her in her quest for recovery, I flew to Ireland to secure an alternative cancer treatment for…
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“Field of Dreams”
This classic sports movie is a surprisingly insightful look at life and death through the lens of the American pastime, baseballField of Dreams, the sports fantasy film directed by Phil Alden Robinson might not be explicitly about death, but it certainly presents an inspiring perspective on it. As the film opens we meet Ray, a struggling farmer played by another legend, Kevin Costner, who has plowed a small section of his cornfield in Iowa to…
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Will I Die in Pain?
For patients living with a terminal illness, the fear of pain is very real“Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. “ — Paulo Coelho One of the greatest fears expressed by people who live with terminal illness is the fear of physical pain. Pain is a real component of many pathological processes: Advanced cancer and many neurological conditions, for example, often…
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Our Tip of the Month: A Heartwarming Gift for a Grieving Friend – The Memory Jar
Start the year with intention: Give a grieving friend a year of meaningful memoriesOur Tip of the Month The beginning of a new year often brings promise and hope. But for someone you love who is grieving, it can also feel heavy. They might need a little extra support to face the months ahead. If a friend is entering the new year carrying a loss, this month’s tip…
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Revisiting The American Way of Death: Jessica Mitford’s Exposé of the Funeral Industry
Re-reading Mitford’s classic on death, dignity and profiteeringGleefully, Jessica Mitford exposes the funeral industry in The American Way of Death Revisited, a smart, biting work of book-length reportage. First published in 1963, she updated the text in 1996 shortly before her death, leaving readers with a final chapter on the growing movement to reclaim the care and burial of one’s own dead,…
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Is ‘Death Tech’ Going to Change How We Approach End of Life?
Death is a part of life. Will new technology help us to face that?In 2024, Crunchbase announced that investment in death-related startups increased remarkably over the past few years. As a relatively new sector to be disrupted, it’s understandable why startups want to enter this niche market, as the end-of-life industry is expected to generate upwards of $103 billionby 2027, but it’s maintained a reputation of resisting change…
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British Painter Nicola Tremain Captures Grief in Acrylic On Canvas
“Staving Off Grief” Confronts the Viewer with the Artist’s Pain After the Recent Loss of a Close FriendIn addition to being an Emmy-nominated documentary director, Nicola Tremain is a self-taught British artist producing expressive still lifes, portraits, and abstract paintings. Her works, which have earned her several top marks, awards, and a spot competing on Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year, are typically characterized by bold strokes of color and imaginative…
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Memorial Diamonds from Cremated Ashes: Keepsake or Fraud?
Lab-grown diamond companies claim to use the carbon from cremains to create memorial diamonds. Others claim it is impossible to doFor families navigating grief and end-of-life preparations, the idea of transforming a loved one’s cremation ashes into a jewel as precious as a diamond can be a source of comfort. Diamonds are valuable, tangible keepsakes that can symbolize connection and memory. Over the past two decades, companies have claimed to specialize in “cremation diamonds,” or…
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