The wise person who coined the expression “you die as you have lived” must have had many years of experience helping people at the end of their lives. Time and time again it has proven to be “right on” for me. A few years back one of my clients illustrated this saying the best.

He was a middle-aged man who had always worked hard and played hard throughout his life. In fact, two weeks before he died, in spite of the tremendous difficulties in getting him around, he insisted on having his teeth cleaned and getting one of his ears pierced with a diamond stud! Both were accomplished with a big smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye. However, the ultimate surprise came at his prearranged funeral when, at the end of the service, Frank Sinatra blared throughout the church singing “My Way”!

– Terry Mactaggart,
Niagara-on-the-Lake Community Palliative Care Services, Niagara