One of the pieces of literature that I've recently read is When Breath Becomes Air by Dr. Paul Kalanithi. A wonderful, touching book that has left a big mark on me and has changed my view on the work of medical doctors forever.

If you're uncomfortable to read about difficult topics, such as cancer and death, I can be perceived as a heavy read. To me, it is a testament to life.

A reminder of how fragile and short our life is, how blinded we are by the belief that we're going to be on this Earth forever, how nobody (really nobody!) is safe from deadly diseases and heavy sickness.

A gentle reminder that death, however unsettling, is a part of life, too.

“I began to realize that coming in such close contact with my own mortality had changed both nothing and everything. Before my cancer was diagnosed, I knew that someday I would die, but I didn’t know when. After the diagnosis, I knew that someday I would die, but I didn’t know when. But now I knew it acutely. The problem wasn’t really a scientific one. The fact of death is unsettling. Yet there is no other way to live.” — Dr. Paul Kalanithi

What I find so touching about Dr. Kalanithi's story is the decision that he and his wife made to conceive a child despite his diagnosis. They both understood, as he wrote, that "life wasn't about avoiding suffering". They chose life. They chose life, in spite of death.

Their tender conversations about life and love and the new meaning they found in their relationship after realizing their time was limited will make you cry. But then also to pause and wonder:

‍“What makes human life meaningful?” — Dr. Paul Kalanithi

Kindly,

Neva.