In June 2000 Peter Houghton, a counselor in palliative care, was weeks from death due to cardiomyopathy. He had made his preparations and had said most of his good-byes. Then he was offered the chance to participate in a clinical trial. Six months later he was not only still alive, but planning a long distance walk for charity and writing this book about his experiences.
With humor and honesty, his story chronicles the uneven path back from the brink of death. Combining knowledge drawn from his counseling work with other dying people and his unique personal experience, he describes what dying really feels like and explains the physical processes it involves. He also raises profound questions about medical trials and palliative care, and especially about our attitudes to life and death, and the way we approach death.
Table des matières
Preface. 1. My Own Story. 2. The physical process of dying. 3. The last days and death itself. 4. How Dying People Feel about Death and Dying. 5. Thoughts about life, death and dying. 6. The patient and the clinical trial. 7. Wider implications and the future. Appendix 1: Patient Care – The physician’s role, Adrian Banning. Appendix 2. The Operation, Stephen Westaby. Glossary of Medical Terms. Index.
A propos de l’auteur
Peter Houghton was for many years a counsellor in palliative care. He was Director of the Birmingham Settlement where he founded Britain’s first money advice centre and worked with adolescents in trouble. He was also the founder of The National Association of the Childless in the UK, after which he became actively engaged in fundraising for the Artificial Heart Foundation and founded the Extra Life Society for advancing procedures for helping people who have experienced heart failure.
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