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Palliative Care Blog

By Angela Morrow, RN, About.com Guide to Palliative Care

How to Say Goodbye

Tuesday May 6, 2008
Many of you are familiar with Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon professor diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2006. I first shared his story with you in a March blog. Randy became a media sensation after delivering his "Last Lecture" about achieving childhood dreams. The lecture evolved into a book that Randy has been co-writing a with Jeffrey Zaslow of the Wall Street Journal. Zaslow shared the story-behind-the-story in the weekend edition of the Wall Street Journal, noting that Randy's final lesson is also that of how to say goodbye.

Zaslow shares how the book was written over the course of 53 bike rides, while Randy wore a cell phone headset and Zaslow typed away at the computer. He details how Randy is saying goodbye to his wife and his three young children. The article is a glimpse into the courage and resilience that Randy has shown throughout his battle. It's also a foreshadowing of the intense grief that his family will feel after he dies.

Grab a box of tissues and read the full article in the Wall Street Journal, along with the accompanying video. Then join me on the edge of my seat as I wait for the release of the book, The Final Lecture.

Watch Randy's "Last Lecture"

Read Randy's blog

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