Warning: Life is Terminal! We will all die, but our youth-oriented society finds this hard to accept. My book, Spirit Matters: How to Remain Fully Alive with a Life-limiting Illness, is about helping people live while they are dying. It focuses on the importance of keeping the spirit, who we are as a person, alive and well when faced with a terminal illness. It brings hope and assurance that the end of life does not have to be a physically painful, frightening and isolated experience. In my twelve years as a hospice nurse, my patients taught me many important truths about dying. In Spirit Matters, these truths are powerfully presented through the personal stories of dying people that I knew and cared for. Each chapter addresses a particular issue related to what is really important at the end of life. It will bring laughter and tears and inspiration. Most importantly, it will educate and empower the dying and their loved ones to take control of crucial decisions that are currently left to medical and bureaucratic systems that have little understanding of their real needs. I am aware that numerous books have been written about death and dying. I have read many of them, but have found none that deliver the message contained in this book. Although hospice plays a significant role, this is not a book about hospice. It is about the human spirit at the end of life and the struggle to keep it healthy against the ravages of the disease and the onslaught of fear and ignorance that is often encountered. My website is www.judyflickinger.com. I hope that you will read my book and encourage others to read it. Although I am a retired R.N. I volunteer for hospice and give presentations about my book once or twice a week. I live in The Villages, FL with a population of 85,000 citizens 55 or older. I’m very busy giving presentations! I look forward to hearing from you.
-Judy, 5/6/2011
