I had the pleasure of interviewing C-TAC Individual Member, David White, about joining C-TAC and his new book titled “We Need to Talk – Conversations to Ease Fear and Suffering Surrounding End of Life.”
“As a C-TAC member, I share and embrace its noble mission. I picture C-TAC as a Symphony Conductor, leading an orchestra of inspired voices and member organizations, all dedicated to improving our health care system, while maintaining dignity, equity, and quality of life. “We Need to Talk,” champions palliative care, and is designed to empower the reader, through education and advocacy, to author a closing chapter worthy of this intrepid life.”
C-TAC Chief Medical Officer, Brad Stuart, wrote the foreword for the book, in which he says, “C-TAC’s mission is to improve the lives of underserved and under-resourced people impacted by serious illness. And when it comes to open communication among clinicians, patients, and their loved ones, we are all underserved… David uses his extensive experience with patients, their loved ones, and members of his own family to show how to make these conversations work. His book will help ensure that the underserved – all of us – will be cared for with compassion when we need it the most.”
David adds, “As a hospital chaplain, seeing and participating in the process of personal empowerment, even in the face of death, inspires me to share these stories of resilience and self-determination. ‘Blue-Chair Moments’ touch people’s hearts. When our hearts are moved, there’s hope for elevating our thoughts and healthcare choices.
In closing, David offered that “We Need to Talk,” is a compassionate guide for people who recognize their mortality and are coming to terms with it. The book is a Call to Action. It’s a simple tool, like a lever, designed to help lift a heavy load… A weight or apprehension so keen, that most of us block it from our daily awareness. And there it slumbers, until stirred by aging or illness or a dawning recognition… A growing recognition that to face our mortal fear of dying will not be the end of us, but to the contrary, offers a pivotal rite of passage. The purpose of the book is to help us embark, and to navigate that passage.”
You can find the link for Pre-Ordering David’s book HERE.
David’s website can be found at www.OneMillionPledges.com
