The Power of Providing Compassionate Care

My father died in February at the age of eighty-five. He had lived with severe cardiovascular and renal disease for the last six years of his life and underwent several medical procedures and treatments for what many individuals might view as a poor quality of life. Despite all the obstacles, my father enjoyed simple pleasures and wanted to live. He loved caring for his yard, volunteering with a local service organization, going out to eat, and spending time with family and friends. He had escaped death several times as a middle-aged man through high-quality medical care and my advocacy as he negotiated a complex health care system.