A story on nextavenue.org/talk-about-death, discusses Katie Couric’s regrets.She wanted to be positive as
her first husband was dying of colon cancer.
She said she never discussed with him the idea that he might die.
She is now writing her memoir and met with the doctors who
took care of Jay Monahan to “revisit” those days.
I was surprised by her admission. I thought Katie Couric “has it all together”. She’s smart, articulate, and has all the
resources at her fingertips. I was
wrong. Very wrong. She was as vulnerable as any of us and when
we are in a crisis mode, we don’t think straight. That’s why it is so important to make plans
ahead; to talk with family about the “D” word.
The story goes on to say that the $16 billion US funeral
industry is being shaken up by the new thoughts of death rituals and burials. I have not watched the HBO documentary Alternate
Endings: Six New Ways to Die in America, released August 14, 2019. However, I have written about many of the
show’s topics: green burials and urns among others. What I have not discussed and what is a new
idea to me is the “living wake” which “force people to say things to each other
while still alive.” I’d rather have a birthday or holiday party than a living wake! The key, as I see it, is to talk to your family
about your death and how you want it to be handled.
The D word doesn’t take away hope or research; it merely
makes it less frightening. And while I’m
on the subject of talking about death, I will be hosting another Death Café in
Pittsburgh in December. There is even a
Facebook group for Death Café Pittsburgh! Let me know if you are interested in attending and I'll send you info as it becomes available.
Until next time…
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