The WAVE's editorial staff send our heartfelt condolences to the widow and family of Dr. Paul Kalanithi, a brilliant young neurosurgeon from Stanford who died at age 37 of metastatic lung cancer on March 9, about two years after his initial diagnosis.  While Paul did not practice in the post-acute and long-term care space, there is much we can learn from him.  His gracious and courageous discourse about his illness, life, legacy, perspective and time has touched many lives, including mine.  Like another surgeon about whom we have heard much lately, Atul Gawande, Dr. Kalanithi had a gift for eloquent communication about difficult topics.

Rather than take our word for it, you would be well served by taking the time to read some of Paul's wisdom and perspective as physician-and-patient.  I also recommend actually watching this entire, bittersweet, heart-wrenching 8-minute video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5u753wQeyM

Other excellent short writings:  http://wapo.st/1GQvX4F from shortly before his death and published online posthumously last week; and http://nyti.ms/McX3Kj from early 2014.

As healthcare professionals who deal with dying patients every day, we certainly gain an understanding that death is part of life.  And thankfully, most of the people we care for have led full lives and achieved most or all of what they had hoped to achieve; they have lived 8, 9 decades or more, in many cases.  It seems cruel and senseless for a young, compassionate, talented person to be cut down in the prime of life.  But it could happen to any of us.  So please heed Paul Kalanithi's message:  take stock, smell the roses, be grateful, tell those around you that you love them, and savor every moment of good health, vigor, and the opportunity to be of service that we possess.

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