Time to say a final goodbye, and thanks [from a journalist entering hospice care]

Time to say a final goodbye, and thanks [from a journalist entering hospice care] 
Originally posted in the San Francisco Chronicle; by Kevin Fisher-Paulson ("He wrote this column shortly before he died" on September 5, 2024); 9/7/24 
... you readers came to embrace us. Moms wrote to tell us that their daughters had found new lives across the desert, grandsons had become granddaughters, sons had chosen recovery over the mountains and siblings had chosen forgiveness. If each of us has the courage to change, we all have the courage to hope. Back in May of 2023, I told you that I had been diagnosed with Stage 4 kidney cancer. ... In July, it all caught up. ... At last, on a recent Tuesday, my oncologist called with the results of my spinal tap and bone marrow analysis. The cancer had won the race, suffused throughout my body. It was, he concluded, time for home hospice. A few weeks to go. This, therefore, is my final column. Having said that, I would like to thank the family and friends who have made me the person I am, ... But it is my husband of 40 years and my sons who have made this life so worth living. ... And also you, the readers. We have become friends over the years, sharing a cup of coffee every Wednesday morning. ... I hope I have brought you wonder, and I hope you now bring wonder to others. Teach your grandson to bake chocolate chip cookies. Take your niece to high tea at the Sheraton. I stand on that baseball diamond, and I salute life. My journey is now over, and yours must continue. Years ago, I asked you to believe in my family. And you did. You lit candles. ... I am humbled. I am grateful. And now I tell you that I believe in you. So go out there. And be kind.
Editor's note: This must-read article and please-share article will inspire you, with insights into the depth and breadth of dying well.