A Year to Live, A Year to Die

[beam me up scottie]

I was so overwhelmed by this story on NPR that I couldn't get out of my car even though I was parked in my driveway.

And once it was over, I still couldn't get out of my car because I couldn't stop crying.

My heart was breaking for this woman, her late husband, Stewart, and their children.

Take a few moments to remember what is really important and to be grateful for what you have.

A Note on the Story

Almost three years ago, producer Mary Beth Kirchner received an extraordinary offer from someone who was entering what would likely be the most difficult time of his life. Stewart Selman had just been told he had a malignant brain tumor, and he said he wanted to keep an audio diary.

To tell the complete story, Kirchner asked Rebecca Peterson, Selman's widow, to listen to the diary and share her own memories of his final months. The resulting stories, intimate and full of hard truths, describe how terminal illness can usher a life to its end.

When Selman offered to keep an audio diary of his final year, he said it was to leave a record for his wife, Rebecca Peterson, and their two children. But he knew a wider audience would be listening, as well.

I highly recommend listening to the audio version so that you can hear the voices of Rebecca and Stewart as they tell their story, but the transcript is also available on NPR's website.

Remembrances

A Year to Live, A Year to Die
by Mary Beth Kirchner

At age 48, Stewart Selman was told he had a malignant brain tumor. Less than 5 percent of people who are diagnosed with malignant tumors of the brain live for more than a year. To leave a record for his wife, Rebecca Peterson, and their two children, Selman began an audio diary.

Although Stewart knew his messages would be heard by a wider audience, Rebecca says she didn't have the courage to share them until now -- three years after her husband's death.

Stewart Selman started recording his audio diary on February 22, 2003. His first entry was made while he was in the hospital awaiting tests, awake and alone in his room at two in the morning. It had been two weeks since he first learned about his brain tumor.
NPR's Vikki Valentine spoke with Sarah Gupta about what family members should know when caring for loved ones with a serious illness. Gupta is a social worker and director of support services for the Brain Tumor Society.



http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5303770

[eleny]

1. I heard that yesterday, too

It was rough.

[trotsky]

2. I will definitely have to be in the right frame of mind to listen.

Just the description sounds heart-wrenching.