With the End in Mind: Dying, Death and Wisdom in an Age of Denial

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It’s written with such warmth, compassion, and integrity, and it contains just the right amount of humour. Doctors in The Netherlands (and in Belgium) do not see euthanasia as a default or standard procedure, but as a last resort.

There are only two days with fewer than twenty-four hours in each lifetime, sitting like bookends astride our lives: one is celebrated every year, yet it is the other that makes us see living as precious.Thank you so much for your honesty and for taking what was possibly a great deal of time and effort in doing so. This book is not going to be for everyone given the subject matter, but it is a step in the right direction to seeing death as an intrinsic part of life and coping with it in the best way for you. Do we do things we can look back in satisfaction on, or things that we'll look back and regret when we're on our deathbed (other places to die are available). Meanwhile, the author tells some of her own stories and encourages the reader to think about issues of their own. Knowing what to expect, and knowing what our dear ones will see as we die, helps people to plan, to speak to each other openly and honestly, and to relax.

In this unprecedented book, palliative medicine pioneer Dr Kathryn Mannix explores the biggest taboo in our society and the only certainty we all share: death. One person’s good death is not another’s – we all need to find our own way to take our bow and leave the stage.Mannix’s introductions to each section and chapter, and the Pause for Thought pages at the end of each chapter, mean the book lends itself to being read as a handbook, perhaps in tandem with an ill relative. I was particularly touched by the stories of Sally, a young woman dying from melanoma who refused to accept that her condition was terminal, and Holly, a mum of two teenagers dying from cancer of the cervix, who suffered from a last bout of restless energy before passing away. I must underline that this is not a sad book even though I felt sad and did put the book aside regularly to reflect on what I just read. The book is as helpfull, wise and sensitive as everybody's been saying and I would've given it 5 stars, but. My life in palliative care has shown me that the process of dying is made less frightening and more peaceful, the better prepared we are.

I hope my close family will agree to read this book, unfortunately it is only in English which prevents some other part of my family from its benefits.

However this book is so well written that it can allow you tears - not of sadness but maybe of understanding and empathy as well as tears of laughter. I have also shared it with friends who have family needing end-of-life care - knowing the trajectory of the journey stopped it being the unknown. The final of these inevitable events will happen to every single person on this planet at some point in the future. Nowadays that has to be broadened to include caring for people of all faiths and there are one or two examples of that in this book. Now Kathryn Mannix joins this distinguished group and her voice, though quiet and calm, is distinctive.