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My Close Encounter with Suicide
My girlfriend killed herself in front of me, a tragedy that defined my life for a long timeThis is an anonymous story, as told by Irena Kaci. Our “Opening Our Hearts” stories are based on people’s real-life experiences with loss. By sharing these experiences publicly, we hope to help our readers feel less alone in their experience of grief and, ultimately, to aid them in their healing processes. In this article, we…
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“Real Death”
Mount Eerie delivers the visceral sensation of grief through song“Real Death” by Mount Eerie is about as literal as a song title can get. It is a song about death, and by gosh, is it ‘real.’ Phil Elverum, the man behind the moniker Mount Eerie, brings the ethereal concept of grief and loss out of the poetic realms, sticks it in our faces and…
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The Changing Face of Cancer and Cancer Survivorship
While impacting younger people more frequently, cancer has also developed into a chronic condition for manyCancer: The word strikes fear into the hearts of many, conjuring up images of middle-aged or elderly loved ones losing their hair and dying. But more and more, this is not what cancer looks like for everyone. A number of cancers are being increasingly diagnosed among young people. In many cases, death is also being…
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“The Big Exit”
A book examining the surprisingly urgent challenge of handling the remains of a billion boomersIn “The Big Exit,” author Ian Sutton explains why we are so unprepared to bury the bodies of billions of boomers projected to die over the next several decades, while urging us to examine eco-friendlier alternatives. According to Sutton, we are running out of space to bury the dead. And the rising popularity of cremation…
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Our Monthly Tip: Create a Unique Handmade Candle for Your Grieving Friend
Invite them to light the candle each time they think of their loved oneOur Monthly Tip: Lighting candles serves a variety of functions. Some people light them to fragrance their home while others simply enjoy watching the flickering flame. Burning candles can also become a ritualistic habit, giving people something to do while they meditate, complete their self-care routine, or pray. Creating a handmade candle for your grieving…
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10 Quotes About Moving On From Loss
From Theodor Seuss Geisel to Kenji Miyazawa, great thinkers offer solace in griefWhen one experiences a death — whether that of a friend, lover, parent, child or beloved pet — there are no words to describe or mitigate the grief. Well-meaning people can try to fix or change their grieving loved ones, when the loss needs, instead, to be acknowledged and allowed. However, words of solace from…
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Billionaires Invest in Technologies to Prolong Human Life
Their costly quest for eternal youth may also benefit othersThanks to medical and scientific advancements, our life expectancy has nearly doubled over the last century in the United States. But it seems the rich aren’t satisfied. They want to live even longer; some, forever. A few billionaires are now betting big bucks on anti-aging technologies, hoping to cheat death and prolong human life. And…
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A Grieving Mother Finds Her Calling in Supporting Pediatric End-of-Life Care (Interview)
An interview with Toula Saratsis, a pediatric death doulaToula Saratsis didn’t seek out becoming a death doula so much as she stumbled upon a calling. After caring for her daughter Angelica through her life-threatening metabolic condition for seven years, Toula had faced the prospect of her daughter dying many times. When Angelica did reach the end of her life, Toula found herself instinctively…
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“Bright Lights, Big City”
A young man navigates addiction, ambition, divorce and grief in this seminal novel from the 1980sPublished in 1984, Jay McInerney’s novel, ‘Bright Lights, Big City‘, remains one of the sharpest, funniest portraits of life in Manhattan during the 1980s. McInerney’s hero is nameless, telling his story in the rare second person point of view. The young twenty-something writer hopeful tells the story as if “You” are the one traipsing around…
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