Being Mortal by Atul Gawande

Tell me, what is a book that you go back to over, and over and over again?

There is a reason this book is that one for many of those whether it is read by persons in or out of the health profession.

Atul Gawande is one of my biggest muses and an inspiration for me to begin writing. A surgeon who looks into the humanism of our population and looks to heal not just with a scalpel but *understanding* patients and the fragility of life itself. He calls himself a "dilletante" and I have no shame in saying I wholesaled that term from him. It means someone who appreciates art but has no real understanding of it.

I no longer see people as clinical problems meant to be solved, or a diagnosis. Gawande often reminds us that patients are people, humans with relationships, fears, joys and dreams. Responsibilities and lives. And that a short sighted view of them is something which will limit our capabilities on what matters most. Don't underestimate them.

If you just listen, you'll find that more often times than not the answer to the problem may not always lie in the immediate view. It takes trust and asking the right questions. Prepare them for what they need to expect. Whether that is a procedure or - as stark as this is going to sound-

death.

We often talk about the beauty of life, but what about the end of it? Is us giving hope and having them cling to the glass half full vs half empty actually working against us? I always tell my students to meet patients where they are. Listen to them, understand their fears and their goals. What is important to them in the end, it may not be what we think is important. Our glass half full may not equate to their version of it.

I know I don't give a a review here, but it's because if there's no other book you keep on your shelf and consume besides medical texts- let it be this one. You have to discover it for yourself.

And if you have read it, I'd love to hear your thoughts and how it transformed you.