Sometimes I run across new media pieces- blogs, infographics, images and news, that I think are particularly poignant. Here are a few of my favorites.

The Unmothered by Ruth Margalit“Her mother’s death, she writes, “had cut me short at the very height of my youthful arrogance. It had forced me to instantly grow up and forgive her every motherly fault at the same time that it kept me forever a child, my life both ended and begun in that premature place where we’d left off.” Nothing I’ve read has managed to describe that exact point in time, that “place where we’d left off,” as accurately as those few lines have. I always thought that literature’s draw lay in making me identify with people and situations that were as different from my lived experience as possible. But my mother’s death changed that. It made me seek out my own kind—the left-behind and the heartbroken. The unmothered.”

The Day I Started Lying to Ruth by Dr. Peter Bach A really beautiful piece. Dr. Bach eloquently describes life on the receiving end of cancer care. Truly heartbreaking and accurate.

Offer Hospice Patients a Smile by Dr. Deep Ramachandran I think this is a really powerful piece by a great pulmonary critical care physician from the Detroit area, Deep Ramachandran. This piece speaks to the fact that sometimes a formal doctor/patient relationship must end. But, there is still something left to offer. Deep is much more eloquent than I will ever be, so just read the blog.

How Vaccines Have Changed Our World [Infographic] (click link for larger image)

Always Go To The Funeral I’ll admit, ever since my mom passed away, I have a keen interest in how our society deals with end of life issues. This interest is fueled by the work I do in my 9-5. We all need to get better- from physicians to families to communities. I think this 2005 NPR blog is spot on.

The Image of Sick People in the Media These sick people don’t look sick at all. Are we doing society a disservice by ignoring the fact that sick people look . ..well, sick?

Let’s Have Dinner and Talk About Death [Video] 75% of Americans want to die at home. 25% actually do.

Sepsis in the United States [Infographic] (click link for larger image)

Staging Lung Cancer An interactive piece of new media allowing clinicians to aid in the process of staging lung cancer in patients. Even 20 years ago this tool wouldn’t have existed. The concept isn’t earth shattering; but free, open access tools like this level the playing field for clinicians (and, of course, patients!) all over the world.