How to Make It Through the Night

Here are 9 tips for surviving long, sleepless nights after the death of your partner.

Harold Dow and Asthma Fatalities

When TV journalist died due to an asthma attack, many were shocked. But just how rare is death from asthma?

The Boy in the Bubble

To anyone under 30, David Phillip Vetter is more an idea than a person. He is a phrase in a Paul Simon song, a character in a Seinfeld episode, the subject of a PBS documentary and the inspiration for movies.

He Fixed Hearts

Wilson Greatbatch invented the implantable cardiac pacemaker, keeping millions of hearts beating in rhythm.

The Death of a Spouse Can Feel Like Losing a Part of Your Body

If you've been married for a long time, the death of your spouse can have a huge impact on your health and well-being.

What DNA Can Tell You About How You'll Die

If you've ever wondered when the sci-fi-tinged future will arrive, the answer seems to be that it's already here… or, at least, the genetic testing part of it is.

How to Write a Living Will

Your living will is the final word if you are unable to communicate a choice due to illness or injury.

Secrets to Long Life From the World's Oldest People

Nothing beats the expertise gained from a lifetime of experience. So when it comes to the secrets of living a long and happy life, no one knows better than those who've done it themselves.

New Year, Fresh Perspective: Four Timely Tips

It’s a new year full of possibilities. So what can we do to feel as if we are living our lives richly and fully?

Massage Therapy at the End of Life

Today's hospices are adding new therapies to bring their patients comfort and relief in their final days. One of these therapies is massage. We talked to Tami Legler-Roberts, a hospice massage therapist, about how she discovered a passion for helping patients at the end of their lives.

Why Your Ancestors’ Life Expectancy Matters to You

A death in the family can be tragic, but the passing of ancestors and distant relatives can also be a rich source of information for anyone trying to understand their family history and their own place in it.

Aromatherapy Triggers Memories and Relief for the Dying

is a series dedicated to opening conversations around death and dying. In this interview, we learn from the unique perspective of Nikki Hernandez, a certified clinical aromatherapist who works with hospice patients. She uses essential oils to bring relief to patients who are in pain or distress. Aromatherapy is not yet widely used in end-of-life care, but Hernandez thinks it should be in every hospice across the nation.

Music is Good for the Soul, in Sickness and in Health

Music is an inextricable part of the human experience. We hear it in the womb, we play it as we say goodbye at funerals... and increasingly, music is used in hospice to enhance the last months of life in myriad ways.

The Zen of Food in Hospice

Food can nourish and nurture, even at the end of life.

Caring for a Terminally Ill Loved One: First Take Care of Yourself

Self-care takes a back seat when we care for dying loved ones. But it's one of the most important considerations in an emotionally and physically harrowing time.

Great American Smokeout

On Nov. 16, 1977, the American Cancer Society held the first Great American Smokeout, a fun event with a deadly serious message: You need to stop smoking now.

How can I cope with the stress of being an executor?

Being an estate executor is a difficult, time-consuming job that is typically an unfamiliar one as well. It’s easy to get stressed and feel like you’ll never get it all done.

Should a widow move?

Q. My husband died several months ago, and people keep asking me whether I’m going to sell my house and downsize or move somewhere else entirely. How do others decide what to do?

Lessons From My Dad

My father died when I was 11. Here's what I learned.

Try Yoga for Grief (Even If You're Not a Yoga Person)

Yoga can’t erase grief – nothing can. But it can give you tools to cope and to focus your thoughts.

17 People Who Fought for Autism Awareness

These scientists, teachers, and community leaders sought greater understanding of life on the spectrum.

Stewart Adams (1923–2019), inventor of ibuprofen, used himself as test subject

“I always felt it was important to take the first dose.”

Bill Jenkins (1945–2019), tried to end Tuskegee syphilis experiment

Bill Jenkins was an epidemiologist and government whistleblower who tried to bring an end to the Tuskegee syphilis experiment by exposing it as racist and unethical. The study began in 1932 when 600 black men, 399 of whom had syphilis, were recruited for a study in exchange for free health care. The study quietly continued for four decades, during which time the men were denied emerging treatments for syphilis and allowed to pass the disease along to their wives and children. When Jenkins joined the Public Health Service in 1967, he learned about the still-ongoing experiment and began working to bring it to the public's attention so it could be stopped. After others got involved in whistleblowing the study's poor methods, a governmental hearing deemed the study problematic and it came to an end in 1972. A subsequent lawsuit brought monetary compensation to the remaining subjects and their survivors, and years later, Jenkins led the effort to get an official apology from President Bill Clinton to the victims of the experiment and their families.

What Is a Living Will or DNR Order?

A living will is a document you can create that details what lifesaving medical procedures you do or don't want performed on you in the event of your terminal illness or injury. It's used when you are unable to speak your wishes.

'She Wanted to Live': When Obituaries Are Honest About Addiction

We never expect addiction to kill the most familiar among us. There's this dangerous idea that's grabbed hold of the popular consciousness over the years that drug addicts are a whole separate category of people, people who would never include Kim who sat next to me in English class and was a sweet girl who loved "Game of Thrones" and just wanted to make her mom happy.

Funerals During the COVID-19 Coronavirus Epidemic: How to Plan

As the new coronavirus strain COVID-19 travels around the globe, it’s not always easy to know what to do to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe. In many areas of the U.S., public gatherings have been banned or discouraged. We're practicing social distancing, staying home as much as possible. 

Henry Geller (2020), helped ban cigarette ads from TV and radio

Henry Geller was the former general counsel for the FCC who helped in getting cigarette ads banned from TV and radio.

Richard Simmons (1948–2024), physical fitness superstar

Richard Simmons was a TV physical fitness instructor who led the 1980s trend of aerobics classes with such popular exercise videos as “Sweatin’ to the Oldies.”