Choices made before a loved one's death don't neutralize the need to grieve for what's being lost, but they can make a huge difference in the pace and depth of caregivers' healing thereafter.

After the initial fog lifted after my father's death, I began to consider my own vulnerability to more and more complicated complications that might arise out of my initial diagnosis, my treatment and all of the surgeries and hospital stays that followed.

Close your eyes for a moment and just say that as many times as it takes to sink in. Love. Never. Fails. It immediately brought my mind to all of the people I know who are right now battling cancer.