August is National Wellness Month, a time that often focuses on healthy habits like nutrition, exercise, and stress management. While those are all important, wellness takes on a different meaning for people living with a serious illness. In those moments, wellness may look like having symptoms under control, avoiding an unnecessary trip to the emergency Read More
Serious illness affects far more than physical health. It can impact energy, independence, emotions, family relationships, finances, and daily routines. For many individuals and families, navigating the healthcare system during serious illness can quickly become overwhelming. Complex healthcare is increasingly common. In the U.S., six in 10 adults live with at least one chronic disease Read More
I love to share the story of one of my favorite patients named Robert. Robert was an eighty-one-year-old Japanese American man who lived alone and had advanced cancer. By the time we met him, he had already been told that he only had a few months left to live. He had been enrolled in hospice Read More
Few things reshape a life as quickly as a serious illness diagnosis — for the patient, or for the family watching someone they love move through it. In a matter of days, sometimes hours, the entire architecture of what was assumed about the future shifts. What felt solid yesterday suddenly isn’t. And yet, in nearly Read More