Dying to Tell You

As a palliative care chaplain, Cody has helped hundreds of people transition from life to death. This past week, he faced a different but maybe more relatable situation for the majority of us—his dog died. And as he and his wife sat on the floor and helped their dog through his final moments, they told him, "Good job." 

We should all be so lucky.

In this week's reflection, Cody talks about his conversation with Jonathan and how it reminded him of the moving and hopeful vision he has about a peaceful end of life, when all your loved ones come to tell you that you've done well and to thank you for all you've done.

Jonathan Pascual is a lung transplant nurse practitioner and 16-time Ironman finisher who's spent years helping other people through the end of their lives. Now, three and a half years into his own terminal diagnosis, he's still training, still racing — including a finish at the Ironman World Championship in Kona. Movement is his medicine, and stoic philosophy is his compass. Join Cody for a conversation about clarity, defiance, and what it means to keep choosing to move, even when the rock keeps rolling back down.

Nobody turns to their car for comfort. Nobody's pain is eased by holding a wad of cash. Especially in times of challenge, all we have is each other.

Cody's deeply personal reflection this week points to this critical fact of life. We see this so movingly in MaRee's kids coming together to support her as she sold her house and became the wandering mom with ALS, welcome in every home, supported at every turn. 

And Cody himself saw this when he attended and spoke at a dear friend's Celebration of Life this past week. Amid all the grief and sadness, he felt the real meaning of connection and support from the people around him. 

All we have is each other. Give it a listen today, and be sure to listen to MaRee's full episode if you haven't already.

It took MaRee two full years to figure out what was happening to her body, and at the end of that frustrating journey she faced the one diagnosis she most feared — ALS.

Maybe because of the severity of that diagnosis. Maybe because she's a hospice nurse of 17 years who's cared for ALS patients and knows what's coming. Or maybe because she simply is who she is. Whatever the reason, MaRee took the advice she was given straight to her generous heart: Do It Now. Don't wait. 

She quit her job, sold her home, and has been traveling with her family ever since. She's racked up more miles than anyone else we can think of in the year since she's been diagnosed. 

For more information on the sponsor of this episode, please visit the Iliff Death Care Collective.

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Why? The shortest, most impossible question. 

The ironies and injustices of terminal diagnoses seem impossible to reconcile. They came up in last week's episode as we talked with Ross, who went from expert to patient in the space of four days.

Cody reflects on not just that but also on what we can do when we face these kinds of unanswerable questions. And the one thing he finds we can do is kindness. We can be kind. And for people facing their own terminal diagnosis, we can be kind in a very specific, meaningful way.