MSI Press Blog

  A somber topic today indeed, but an important one. One that was so completely new to us when Carl was dying from cancer that not only did we not know what to expect, leaving us feeling lost and helpless, but also we had no idea even what questions to ask and where to search for answers, leaving us feeling depressed and fearful. I think that may not be completely uncommon. Here is a clinical description of dying from cancer: Dying from cancer is a process that involves  changes in body function and loss of control over bodily functions .  Some of the common signs that your body is preparing to die are  disorientation, incontinence, rattling breaths, extreme weakness, less interest in food, trouble swallowing, and muscle jerking . These signs are caused by the cancer spreading to different organs and systems, and the body shutting down. Frankly, these signs are pretty scary and disconcerting when you do not expect them and do not know how to interpret them -- let alone how to respond t

  While everyone dies from something eventually, not every cancer patient dies from cancer (thankfully -- and hopefully cancer will take ever fewer lives as more becomes known about causes and treatments). Nonetheless, while therefore a bit off the beaten track, it seemed worthwhile to share this article I came across recently from the UK:  This is what happens in the 30 seconds before you die... and whether your life really flashes before your eyes . For more Cancer Diary posts, click HERE . Read also more posts on death , dying , and near-death experiences . Blog editor's note: As a memorial to  Carl Leaver , MSI Press graphic arts director and designer, who died of  Cancer of Unknown Primary  August 16, 2021, and simply because it is truly needed, MSI Press is now hosting a web page,  Carl's Cancer Compendium , as a one-stop starting point for all things cancer, to make it easier for those with cancer to find answers to questions that can otherwise take hours to track down o

  Just released: the audiobook edition of Passing On: Preparing for the Afterlife  by Joanna Romer. Book description: Existence makes sense only if we include the afterlife as part of our history. Scientists are exploring the concept that life, including what is called the afterlife, may not be as we perceive it. New discoveries having to do with the simultaneous nature of time and the relativity of space coincide dramatically with the testimony of Near-Death Experience (NDE) survivors. The question is, where does our energy go and how much of our identity goes with it? Passing On: How to Prepare Ourselves for the Afterlife attempts to shed light on these questions and many others, such as: Do we meet up with loved ones after we pass on? Do we take form as a physical entity or are we pure essence? Do time and space exist in the afterlife, and: What are the characteristics of the afterlife---is it as joyful, loving and forgiving as those who have undergone a Near-Death Experience claim?

  One of the existential questions that we faced when Carl was diagnosed with terminal cancer in four organs, although it was not evident as a question until after Carl died, was whether we should focus on living (enjoying the life that was left) or staying alive (fighting death). For one reason another, in part waves of crises, we kept being pushed to focus on staying alive. We planned to do something special, even if small, every Monday--an attempt at living, and, darn it, every single Monday for those last five months of Carl's life, he ended up in the ER not because of doing something special but before we could do something special. Five months passed, and as I look back it, we were focused exclusively on staying alive. I wish we could have focused on living.  I was very taken with one young wife, who called herself Widow in Waiting on X, who somehow did manage to focus on living. Her husband was in the hospital more often than not. her posts on X were focused on living.  We