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Who Should Read This Book

  • People facing grief or loss

  • Caregivers and family members

  • Healthcare professionals

  • Hospice and end-of-life workers

  • Spiritual seekers

  • Book clubs interested in meaningful discussion

  • Anyone asking, "What really matters in life?"

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As a hospice physician, Dr. Karen Wyatt has been widely recognized for her caring presence with patients and her deep understanding of the spiritual aspect of health, illness and dying. After the suicide death of her father she spent years studying spiritual wisdom while listening to the stories of her hospice patients. From the depths of her own broken heart she found a path to transformation that changed how she practiced medicine and how she lives her own life.

 

She is the author of multiple books and the host of the popular End-of-Life University Podcast where she shares wisdom for living life fully as well as interviews with experts from various fields on dying, death and grief.

 

Subscribe to her email list here.

Now Available

for FREE Download!

 

The What Really Matters

Workbook

This free workbook contains practices, journaling prompts, and an assessment to accompany the book and help you focus on your spiritual development. Download and print these pages to help you create a personalized plan for spiritual growth and track your progress over time.

  1. What expectations did you have before reading this book? Were any of them changed by the stories and lessons you encountered?

  2. What personal experience have you had with loss and suffering? Has that experience caused you to question your faith (if you have a spiritual practice)? Or strengthened your faith?

  3. What did you learn from the stories of dying patients that might be helpful for living your own life?

  4. Dr. Wyatt believes that Forgiveness is one of the hardest and most important lessons for us to learn and practice. Do you agree? What are your thoughts and struggles with the practice of Forgiveness?

  5. Did reading this book cause you to want to change anything about your current life? Have your own ideas of “what really matters” in life been influenced by the book?

  6. Has reading this book changed the way you think about death, loss, aging, illness, or the choices you make in everyday life?

  7. What was the most valuable thing you learned from reading this book?

  8. Dr. Wyatt has said that the story of her patient Adam (the man with cancer of the face) had one of the greatest impacts on her life. Which patient story was your favorite?

  9. The book explores questions about meaning, spirituality, and what may lie beyond death. How have your own beliefs or questions been influenced by the stories in the book?

  • Is this book only for people who are dying?

Not at all. While the lessons in this book come from the experiences of hospice patients at the end of life, they are ultimately lessons about living. Through stories of ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances, the book explores what matters most to all of us—regardless of our age, health, or life situation.

  • Will this book be depressing?

Many readers are surprised to discover that this book is more inspiring than sad. Although it deals with death, loss, and suffering, it is ultimately a hopeful book about love, forgiveness, purpose, and finding meaning in life. The stories of hospice patients reveal not only the challenges of dying but also the wisdom, courage, and grace that can emerge during difficult times.

  • Is this a religious book? 

No. The book explores spiritual themes, but it is not tied to any particular religious tradition. Readers from many different faith backgrounds—as well as those who consider themselves spiritual but not religious—have found value in the lessons shared here. The focus is on universal human experiences and the wisdom that emerges from them.

  • Do I need to have experience with hospice or caregiving to understand it?

No. While some readers come to the book because of a personal experience with illness, caregiving, or loss, many others simply want to live more intentionally and reflect on what truly matters. The stories and lessons are accessible to anyone interested in personal growth, meaning, and living with greater awareness.

  • How does this book differ from other end-of-life books?

Rather than focusing primarily on the medical aspects of dying, this book explores the life lessons revealed by people nearing the end of life. Drawing on years of hospice experience, Dr. Wyatt identifies seven essential lessons—suffering, love, forgiveness, presence, purpose, surrender, and impermanence—that can help us live more meaningful and authentic lives.

  • Can this book be used by book clubs, discussion groups or classes?

Yes. The book has been used by book clubs, hospice volunteers, healthcare professionals, spiritual study groups, and individuals interested in personal growth. Discussion questions are available to help readers explore the lessons and apply them to their own lives.

  • What are the seven lessons?

The Seven Lessons are the core themes that emerged repeatedly in the lives of dying patients:

  • Suffering

  • Love

  • Forgiveness

  • Presence

  • Purpose

  • Surrender

  • Impermanence

These lessons are not only relevant at the end of life. They offer guidance for anyone seeking to live with greater wisdom, compassion, and meaning.

"Now more than ever ...

this is the book the world

needs to help us rise

above global crisis."

7 Lessons for Living
from the Dying

- Carew Papritz, Award-Winning Author of

The Legacy Letters

As we face an unprecedented global crises and devastating climate change this book of wisdom from a hospice physician can teach us how to navigate the challenges before us:

  • Coping with loss and grief

  • Facing our mortality

  • Finding love and joy in the midst of sorrow

  • Transforming fear into spiritual growth

Read this book to gain the tools you need for living fully in difficult times.

Available wherever books are sold

Note: Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. The price stays the same for you but if purchased through this link End-of-Life University receives a small commission, which helps cover the costs of producing the interview series, blog and podcast.

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