I started this page at the request of someone who wanted a particular story and now realize that it's not easy to find good stories of (or articles about) death and dying on the Web. I'll add more links as I find them -- and please tell me about any that you think I should consider.
~~ Pat McNees

Ask Judy. Do you, or someone you care about, know someone who is dying? Each Wednesday Judy Bachrach answers your questions or offers advice to the dying and those who care about them.

For me to have a good day, somebody must die (Del Stone, Open Salon, on writing about death for a newspaper website and feeling guilty about his own gallows humor)

In death, a promise for the future. As her world diminished, Elizabeth Uyehara signed her body over to researchers to help unravel the mystery of Lou Gehrig's disease. (Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 8-28-10, on the course of Uyehara's ALS and on what happens when organs are donated for science)

Last Words (famous last words, famous epitaphs, illuminations, famous farewells, and stories of last stands)

Living Consciously, Dying Gracefully - A Journey with Cancer and Beyond by Nancy Manahan and Becky Bohan (how Diane Manahan chose to live life fully at the end and die at home)

• Making Rounds with Oscar: The Extraordinary Gift of an Ordinary Cat by David Dosa (about a cat who senses death and stays to comfort the dying, but also about Alzheimer's and geriatric care and nursing homes and being there, at the end of life)

Months to Live. A New York Times series, examining the promises and challenges of extending, or ending, the lives of very ill patients. Includes Weighing Medical Costs of End-of-Life Care by Reed Abelson, 12-22-09; Fellow Inmates Ease Pain of Dying in Jail by John Leland, 10-17-09; Sisters Face Death With Dignity and Reverence by Jane Gross, 7-8-09 (a group of convent sisters rely on social networks rather than aggressive medical care);Fighting for a Last Chance at Life, by Amy Harmon, 5-16-09 (A family’s campaign for access to an unproven drug (Iplex, for ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease) highlights the challenges terminally ill patients face in the search for treatment; and At the End, Offering Not a Cure but Comfort (Anemona Hartocollis, 8-20-09 on what palliative care specialists do during patients' last months).

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NAES bookstore, NIH Clinical Center, Bethesda (Building 10, Room B1L101, phone 301. 496.5272)

STORE OWNERS AND BOOKSELLERS:

Get in touch if you want to stock this title. E-mail pat at patmcnees dot com (in the usual format).

This is a wonderful gift book for families experiencing a serious illness or a death in the family. Often the serious illness doesn't end in death, but elicits anxiety, sorrow, and thoughts about the possibility of death.

"For those who face the lonely reality of death, this book provides understanding and much-needed solace."
Claire Berman, author of Caring for Yourself While Caring for Your Aging Parents