Reflections on living and dying from an end-of-life doula

Thirteen states and the District of Columbia have laws that allow the terminally ill to end their life on their own terms. At the same time, there’s the “Don’t Die” movement touting products and routines that promise to extend life…even the possibility of immortality.

We’re all going to die one day…it’s a fact of life…something we have in common. So what can the dying teach the living about what makes a meaningful life?

This week on The Connection meet Diane Button, an end-of-life-doula. She has spent countless hours with people in their last days as they share their regrets, hopes, desires and dreams.

In her new book, What Matters Most, she writes about those conversations and what she has learned about living and dying. It turns out that simple pleasures, living in the present and repairing relationships are keys to a good life and a good death.