How Doctors Die

It’s not a frequent topic of discussion, but doctors die, too. And they don’t die like the rest of us. What’s unusual about them is not how much treatment they get compared to most Americans, but how little. For all the time they spend fending off the deaths of others, they tend to be fairly serene when faced with death themselves. They know exactly what is going to happen, they know the choices, and they generally have access to any sort of medical care they could want. But they go gently.

Such a striking article, especially considering one of my close friends came very close to death not too long ago. If it came down to it, I'd rather be in a hospice situation than be stuck in an ICU until and die a long, painful, costly death (or live a long, painful, costly life).