Hey there, Dr. Brown. Just wanted to send a little note to warn you that I'm coming to see you soon for my "check up." You and I both know that this will be my yearly opportunity to spew all of my worries on you and for you to reassure me that I'm not dying. … Continue reading Dear PCP
Today Louisa and Luke commissioned me to paint their fingernails red, white and blue for the Fourth of July. Luke wanted four toes painted burgundy with his big toe striped with red, white and blue...which Louisa accurately pointed out looked like the French flag. Louisa, on the other hand (har har har), had much more … Continue reading The parable of the nine year old and the finger nail
I'm super excited that this essay was just published on KevinMD.com. Not quite NEJM or JAMA, but I'll take it! Due to word count restrictions on KevinMD, I had to modify the original version quite a bit. Here is the link to the KevinMD post with my unabridged essay below. Enjoy! https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2019/06/how-to-have-an-exciting-death-5-tips-from-a-palliative-care-physician.html https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2019/06/how-to-have-an-exciting-death-5-tips-from-a-palliative-care-physician.html We’re all … Continue reading How to prolong death and maximize suffering
I like peonies. Especially when they are from my yard. Quick life hack, if you've purchased a towel ring but you don't like the way it looks holding your towels (and you can't find your receipt), you can use it to hold your necklaces. Boom. Hello there, little nubbin... I don't like it when my … Continue reading My Pretties
Regardless how big or how small, an accomplishment is an accomplishment. Today, I celebrate and share with you one of my most unexpected and strangely gratifying accomplishments. It was a normal day, sometime last year, when I grabbed a cup of grapes in the staff lounge. In that moment, I had no way of knowing … Continue reading Accomplishment
If there is one good thing about dance competitions, it's the lack of middle aged men reliving their glory days, screaming at your kid if she doesn't point her toe quite right. I mean, can you imagine? Coaches and parents lurking around the stage yelling things like "Dangit Suzy...pop your hip to the LEFT...TO THE … Continue reading Take Me Out To The Ballgame
My grandma Virgie was born on a farm in Clyde, KS in 1931, one of 11 siblings. Legend has it that she had a bit of an ornery streak when she was a kid, easily finding or creating mischief. I would imagine that to survive on a farm in the middle of 1930's Kansas, with … Continue reading Pilgrimage
May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month! In my line of work, I see a lot of horrible things happen to people at no fault of their own. Often times, their illnesses could not have been predicted or prevented. Skin cancer, however, is something that can be detected early and there are steps that you can … Continue reading NO TANNING BEDS FOR YOU!
I found you standing on a platform. It was a foggy, damp morning and your vision was obscured. People came and went, some with urgency, others not so much. Some people you knew, others were strangers. Your husband was usually nearby, often holding your hand, other times out of sight. At times you could hear … Continue reading The Platform
Yesterday (which was Saturday) I got up at 5:30am. For ANOTHER dance competition. And for a split second I thought "No...nope...no way! We're not doing this today." But 0.52 seconds into my revolt, I remembered that I'm a grown up and I have to actually follow through on things I've committed to. And my mom … Continue reading Dance mom, part deux
