Its been quite some time since the last time I posted on here, and this is mostly due to a recent death in my family that was very close. I have seen many people die this year, more than usual. In fact, this year has been the worst year for deaths since 2007 when I lost my grandfather, and two close friends who were much too young. This year, while the deaths have not all been close to home, I have seen many of my friends suffering with the loss of family members, friends, and relatives, mainly from cancer. It just goes to show that life is short and unpredictable and that you need to live life to the fullest. I know that after this year's experience, my goal will be to talk to my patients even more than I do now. Especially the ones that know that the trip with me will probably be their last. Holding a hand or two, offering comforting words, maybe a laugh or two. It was hard seeing my family member towards the end, but one thing that comforted me was that he felt "ok" with things. He had sold his stocks, made sure that his life insurance was in order, and closed any deals that were left unattended. He said to me that towards the end, things don't seem as crazy, you kind of look forward to death just so it can be all over. Of course, he hoped for a cure or some miracle, but sometimes there are just things we can't do. It took only three weeks for my uncle to pass away, he wasn't old, he wasn't young, but I certainly never expected to be at his funeral at this point in his or my life. It took three weeks from the time of his diagnosis to his untimely death, a period of time that has been very hard for my family, but, as I said earlier in the post, this is why we all need to take the time away from work, away from the stresses of life, and spend time with our families, friends, loved ones, and/or pets and live our lives to the fullest.
I think Dr. Sidney Friedman from M*A*S*H put it best when he said:
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