Know that wisdom is sweet to your soul: If you find it, there is a future of hope for you. Proverbs 24:14 In 1972, I was a medical student at the University of Chicago. I was just beginning to learn clinical medicine. One of my most inspirational teachers was Dr. Elizabeth Kübler-Ross. She began a memorable lecture with the words ?Lets talk about death.' I was still youthful and had little experience with the putrid smell of death. As an idealistic medical student all I wanted was to cure diseases.

Wasn't death of a patient a failure for a doctor? She spoke with courage and insight about how care of dying patients was an important part of life. Her message was engaging. Her insights and interviews from dying patients became the subject of her famous book On Death and Dying. Her teachings have helped innumerable people to better cope with death or death of loved ones. Her teachings have stayed with me for a lifetime. I am thankful to her for her bravery to tackle this difficult topic. She was a skilled empathetic teacher. Although now dead, her legacy grows stronger with time.

Her ultimate message of dying with compassion brings wisdom and hope. On Death and Dying, Kübler-Ross E. (1969) On Death and Dying, The Macmillian Company, New York ISBN 0-415-04015-9.