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Mapping the end . . .

For years, doctors have been encouraging patients to plan ahead for the end of their lives. Unfortunately, even the best laid plans don’t always match the realities we face when our time grows short. People change their minds, values shift, and sometimes serious illness doesn’t look like what someone imagined. Despite the twists and turns […]

Palliative Care in the Time of COVID

“As we take stock of masks, gloves, and ventilators, we must also be ready to dig deep into our reserves of patience, communication, and compassion.” Nathan A. Gray, MD

The woman who changed how we die…

When it comes to courageous healthcare heroes, it’s hard to think of anyone quite like Dame Cicely Saunders – nurse, social worker, doctor, and an extraordinary spark in bringing rigorous compassion to medicine… I’m excited to share my comic on the life of Dame Saunders published with Annals of Internal Medicine just in time for […]

Dying Words Aren’t What I Imagined

The things people say (and don’t say) at the end never cease to surprise me… Here’s the link to my comic, made for Spiralbound on Medium, about the tremendous privilege of sitting together alongside both the marvel and the messes of dying words.

Flute Music, Existential Distress, and Sloppy Surgeons…

Here are a few recent Palliative Care cartoons from the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management and AAHPM Quarterly! I’m grateful, and still a bit surprised, to have my scatterbrained cartoons featured in respectable publications… Images copyright ©2018 Nathan A. Gray

Empathy: The Throw Pillow Rule of Thumb…

N. Gray, MD I’ve definitely said my share of words that weren’t helpful in fragile moments with people who were suffering. Learning to be present without pity, preaching, or patronizing is an art that requires the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and hear your words with their ears. I find I’ve rarely […]