There’s an extraordinary video blog I’ve been following for a while which chronicles the cancer adventures of a man named David and it’s been heartening to me, watching someone talk so freely and openly about what it’s like to face the realities of catastrophic illness and the possibility of impending death.  David is very engaging.

I was a little late to his most recent post (posted back in June) but it appears that after a glorious period of remission his cancer is back, with a vengeance, and the prospect of impending death has now turned into the certainty of it.  This video addresses the various thoughts coming up for him around the sudden turn of events.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND WATCHING THIS for anyone who’s ever wondered what in the world they’re supposed to say to someone who’s dying.

It’s about ten minutes long and worth every second.  David covers what it feels like to have people tell him that he still looks great, or talk about/plan future events that he’s not likely to share in, or in other ways try to skirt or deny his new dawning reality and place him in a position of having to pretend like everything’s still okay.

Then…and this is the extraordinary part for me…he talks about what it’s really like living in the constant awareness that everything he’s now experiencing is probably for the last time.  How in some moments he experiences great fear of the passage to come and how at other times the world around him is highlighted with an exquisite, poignant beauty that’s both heartbreaking and luminous.

These are the kinds of things that all dying people think about but usually find it difficult to share.  David is brave and articulate enough to step up to the plate and actually tell you about it.  I warmly invite you to take advantage of this rare opportunity and learn from him.  It’ll hopefully help make your next encounter with someone who’s dying more nourishing and comfortable for you both.

UPDATE: The hubster pointed out that, in spite of the promise in this post’s title, neither David nor I gave any explicit instructions about how to talk to someone who’s dying.  (It wasn’t David’s intention in the first place and I…well, I just dropped the ball.)  To remedy the lapse:

In a nutshell, don’t run, don’t deny, don’t deflect.  Instead, listen carefully to what they’re trying to tell you, let it in, then follow their lead….as best you can of course.  There’s always a learning curve so be patient with yourself.

That approach usually opens up whole new worlds.  –Editor