This content is provided by Americans for Better Care of the Dying. For more information, visit www.abcd-caring.org.
This inspirational story of the last six months in the life of 22 year-old lymphoma patient Matt Gauger takes the reader on a journey through the perilous terrain of terminal illness and its unexpected twists and turns. Hallock weaves together first-person accounts of family and friends to form a tapestry of beautiful and poignant memories of Matt's life and of their final weeks and months with him. Matt is remembered for his joyful and playful embrace of life and for his steadfast search for meaning in the face of death.
For cancer patients, life is turned upside down as the certainties that structure their lives come into question. By using short vignettes that focus on the painful realities of human suffering and the existential issues of dying young, Hallock captures the sense of urgency with which Matt wrestled with questions of how to keep his life intact and make best use of the time he has left.
Matt and his loved ones move through the ups and downs of his illness and deal with the moment to moment demands and daily routines of his care with a simple grace that belies the profound spiritual transformation that is taking place in their lives. Bolstered by a short remission, they rejoice in the hope that Matt may indeed beat the cancer. In the end, though, the cancer returns, and Matt and his caregivers struggle to make sense of pain and suffering brought on by his deteriorating condition.
This book honors Matt and the courage with which he faces his death, and speaks to the profound peace that can be found in letting go of life even when that life is so full of promise. In a culture that denies death and fashions a technology that attempts to defy mortality, this book affirms our intuitive sense that death and dying open the door to deeper levels of awareness and richer ways of being with and for others.
A must for all readers who are searching for a better understanding of the spirituality of death and dying, this easy-to-read book can provide patients and caregivers alike with a faithful companion on their journey with terminal illness.Bev Williams is a doctoral candidate in Medical Sociology at the University of Alabama and a research collaborator at the Balm of Gilead Palliative Care Initiative in Birmingham. She is a member of the Gilead Writers; interested writers may join by contacting Janice Lynch.
This content is provided by Americans for Better Care of the Dying. For more information, visit www.abcd-caring.org.