Grief Lending Library

The author’s account of his courageous fight against an incurable, progressive illness, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, known as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease.”

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Lou Gerig's Disease / Historical

A middle-aged daughter helps her parents take one last journey together. As they drive through the fall mountain colors and long stretches of western highways, she recalls treasured childhood memories, agonizes with her father over his daily struggles against cancer, and ultimately understands what is being passed on to her.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Cancer

A valuable resource for those who care for dying patients and their families. A variety of articles by various professionals dealing with many end-of-life care issues.

• Professional

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

Deals with the physical as well as emotional aspects of terminal illness. A very practical guide for caregivers.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Cancer

Written with the hope that you will understand your own reactions even as you try to comprehend your parents’ needs.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Aging Parents / Historical

Physician-author Diane Komp uses tender stories of her work with children who have cancer to illustrate timeless biblical truth. Showing how medicine, science, and biblical faith are compatible, she gives readers inspiring insight into the spiritual re-education of a Yale medical professor by her young patients.

• Professional

• Anticipatory / Before the Death / Religious

If you work with the dying in your career or as a volunteer, or if you are a family member or friend to someone who is dying, this book presents you with a caregiving philosophy that will help you know how to respond, and what to do with your own powerful emotions.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Religious

Bereavement care is draining work, and remaining empathetic to the painful struggles of the mourners and dying they serve makes caregivers highly susceptible to burnout. But if you make compassionate self-care a priority, not only will your life be richer and more joyful, you will be a more effective caregiver to others. Let this book show you how to have balance in your life and in your work.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Professional

Describes the nature of coping as it has been observed in cancer patients and relates these findings to some principles for action aimed toward helping people to achieve completeness in their lives.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Historical

Aware their grandmother is gravely ill, four siblings make a pact to keep death from taking her away. But Death does arrive all the same, as it must. He comes gently, naturally. And he comes with enough time to share a story with the children that helps them to realize the value of loss to life and the importance of being able to say goodbye.

• Children

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

Five prominent clinicians and scientists examine the psychological, sociological, and physical aspects of death.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Historical

Dr. Benton descries grief and the feelings of guilt, rejection, isolation, and fear that may accompany it.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Historical

Recommended for its exposition of the psychosocial environment in which the dying patient is immersed.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Historical

The author found that his decision to attack his disease rather than "go gently into that good night," had not only saved him but also changed him dramatically for the better.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Cancer

Provides consolation for the bereaved and for those facing death.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Historical

The story of a 17 year old's fight against leukemia as told by his mother.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Historical

Teaches “how to listen to the dying, how to understand and accept what they wish or need to share.”

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

A book of prayers for people facing death.

• Anticipatory & Before the Death

• Religious

The authors memoir of life with his beloved Ginny and the battle with Alzheimer’s that consumed her. From their first meeting in 1943 or Ginny’s final home in a care facility, Artley recounts his story of their marriage, family and careers, came the undeniable evidence of Ginny’s mental decline. Faced with the pain and confusion of Ginny’s illness, Artley and his family had to learn to cope with the grim details and long good-bye of Alzheimer’s disease.

• Alzheimer's Disease

• Partner's Illness / Anticipatory / Before the Death

Patty Dann had been married almost 10 years to her husband when he was suddenly diagnosed with a fatal brain cancer. In this memoir, Dann explains how the plans they'd made would abruptly come to an end. Worse, Dann had no idea how she'd explain to their three-year-old son.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Death of a Partner

This story is about a family’s journey through – and beyond – terminal cancer. For the Groves family, faith in God and an awareness of his care played a pivotal role as they faced Al’s death, processed their deep grief, and gradually moved forward. Without sugarcoating the pain of grief, the book offers hope and healing to all who are facing the shadow of death.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Cancer / Religious

This empathetic guide will help you be a compassionate cancer companion before, during, and after treatment. Whether the person with cancer is a friend or a family member, it will help you understand his or her physical, emotional, social, cognitive, and spiritual needs, and give you tips and encouragement for reaching out and being a steadfast, loving presence.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Cancer

This empathetic guide will help you understand and express your many difficult thoughts and feelings before, during, and after treatment. It will help you take care of yourself physically, emotionally, socially, cognitively, and spiritually.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Cancer

When we hear that someone close to us has been diagnosed with cancer, we want nothing more than to comfort them with words of hope, support, and love. But sometimes we don’t know what to say or do and don’t feel comfortable asking. With sensitive insights and thoughtful anecdotes.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Cancer

Case histories and personal experience; as a volunteer, the author presents specific information on patient care, medication techniques, funding, staffing, administration, home care programs, and architectural requirements for inpatient units.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Professional / Historical

Offers a portrait of the experience of dying that makes clear the choices that can be made to allow each of us his or her own death.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

The author shows us how, through our concern, our compassion, and our prayers we can comfort the dying and help guide them toward the light of risen life.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Religious

Humphry depicts his empathy with his wife's pain from cancer, his own anticipatory grief and how he helped her to die.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Death of a Partner / Historical

It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because "time is all you have...and you may find one day that you have less than you think"). It was about living. In this book, Randy Pausch has combined the humor, inspiration and intelligence that made his lecture such a phenomenon and given it an indelible form.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

The cultural expectation for sadness, loneliness, and despair when you feel relief, happiness, and even joy, only adds to the guilt and conflict felt by many "relieved grievers." Elison and McGonigle here share their own and others' stories, compassionate clinical analysis, and pragmatic counsel. Wise, compassionate, and groundbreaking, this book expands the traditional definition of grief, and, in so doing, generously validates the feelings that many of us feel obliged to hide.

• General

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

Will help guide and support the family and friends of seriously ill patients.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Historical

This book is filled with excellent chapters that bring us up to date with the most current information on both pre-death and post-death interventions.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

Written and edited by some of the nation’s leading authorities on ethics and end-of-life care, this book explores a range of issues – including pediatric hospice, historical, religious, spiritual and cultural perspectives of the end of life, hospice in nursing homes, surrogate decision making, physician assisted suicide, organ donation and our society’s legal tenants of end-of-life-care.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Professional

The author is trying to say that dying need not be fearful or painful, either socially or psychologically.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Historical

The author's personal account of his battle with cancer.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Historical

Ages 8-11. A compassionate yet straightforward story to assist young children and their caregivers as they deal with an impending death of a mother. The bright, childlike artwork and simple, straightforward language offer readers a hopeful message. The book does not specify what is wrong with the mother, so it could apply to a number of situations or illnesses.

• Children

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

A story about a woman’s journey battling ovarian cancer. This biography speaks about the strong connections made with others and the weekly emails she sent to her friends filled with encouraging words of hope and strength from scripture.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Cancer/Religious

A book to help sibilings anticipate a brother or sisters death from a terminal illness.

• Children

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

An inspiring memoir of life, love, loss, and new beginnings by the widower of bestselling children’s author and filmmaker Amy Krouse Rosenthal, whose last of act of love before her death was setting the stage for her husband’s life without her.

• Death of a Partner

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

A book created to help people share more deeply with those who are sick or dying.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

Effective treatment of the dying person and his or her family, educating the child for death and our striving for self-esteem and power, impact of the idea of death on the law, and the role of grief in mental health.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Historical

Reveals the beneficial changes that can occur of the dying person is not isolated and avoided, but instead invited to share his experiences with someone who can listen.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Historical

Explores dying and death as they concern the staff members of two large hospitals.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Historical

A transcript of discussions which took place at a symposium.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Historical

Sequel to On Death and Dying; consists of the most frequently asked questions and Dr. Kubler-Ross's answers.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Historical

At 39, theologian Billings was diagnosed with incurable cancer. The questions were acute: Why me? Why now? Where is God in all of this? This eloquently written book shares Billing’s journey and reflections on providence, lament, and life in Christ in light of illness.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Religious

Offers specific details involved in preparing for death, ways of minimizing fear and grief and provides a forum in which people share their first-hand experiences with death.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Historical

With warmth and compassion, the author highlights seven concerns that she has found to be important to people who are nearing life’s end.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

Contains all that Mr. Kelly has learned about cancer and how to live with it. The author is founder and president of the national organization "Make Today Count."

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Cancer / Historical

Will help find guidelines both to increase the psychological comfort of our own dying and to enhance our understanding of loved ones who may be dying.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

At thirty, Laurel Lee discovered she had Hodgkin’s disease – an agonizing illness that could take her life and her baby’s as well. Refusing to give up, she learned to overcome the pain with humor and faith, and began to write this remarkable journal of her feelings and experience.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Hodgkin's Disease / Historical

Heart-wrenching personal stories are intertwined with practical suggestions, and specific instances are frequently used to illustrate techniques, processes, and the importance of telling your story, rather than assuming your family already knows it. Kuhl focuses particularly on coming to terms with one's past. Discussions of family histories, lifelong priorities, and difficult choices are emphasized as tools for making peace among family members and with one's own conscience.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

At the age of thirty-six, on the verge of completing a decade’s worth of training as a neurosurgeon, Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. One day he was a doctor treating the dying, and the next he was a patient struggling to live. And just like that, the future he and his wife had imagined evaporated. When Breath Becomes Air chronicles Kalanithi’s transformation from a naïve medical student “possessed,” as he wrote, “by the question of what, given that all organisms die, makes a virtuous and meaningful life” into a neurosurgeon at Stanford working in the brain, the most critical place for human identity, and finally into a patient and new father confronting his own mortality.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Death of a Partner

This book will teach readers to assess and put into perspective, their own feelings about the disease so that they can truly help those who are afflicted with it. The use of cartoons, anecdotes and personal stories will set an upbeat and positive tone.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

Two books in one. Twelve suggestions to help someone who is sick, injured or otherwise disabled and twelve suggestions for the caregiver.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

Helps you make the important decisions that will allow your loved one to face death with courage and dignity – and you to continue living a full life.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

Father and daughter explore ways to communicate with and care for aging parents while finding the support you need to adjust to new responsibilities and roles.

• Anticipatory / Before the Death

• Aging Parents