In My Own Last Words: Insights Shared by the Dying

What Would You Say If You Could Write Your Own Obituary?

When end-of-life caregiver and grief counselor Christiane zu Salm wrote an obituary for herself as a requirement of her training, she realized how powerful it could be for people nearing death to talk about their lives in their own words.

Standard obituaries contain little beyond simple facts about the deceased person’s family, career, hobbies, and achievements. But they don’t tell us much about the person’s actual experience of life. How do regular people view their lives as they approach death? The patients zu Salm interviewed in their homes, nursing facilities, and hospices were eager for a chance to set the record straight and impart their final thoughts.

This collection presents obituaries gathered from people facing death in the U.S. before and during the global Covid-19 pandemic. It also includes the author’s own story of leaving a successful career as a media executive to do end-of-life work, as well as her reflections on what we can learn from the dying about making the most of our lives.