Over the last 15 years, as a doctor, I have had heart-to-heart conversations with countless patients near the end of their lives. The most common emotion they express is1. And that's2I came up with a project to encourage people to write a3to their loved ones. It's a lesson I learned years ago from a memorable4patient.
He was a retired5with a cancer. Every day, his6spent many hours watching him watch television. She explained to me he had never been much of a7in their 50-plus years of marriage. But he seemed quite8to share his ideas with me,9when it became clear his days were10. He spoke of his deep regret for not having spent enough time with his wife, and of his great11in his son, who had joined the Navy in his father's footsteps.
One afternoon, when I mentioned these12to his wife and son, they looked disbelievingly at each other. They thanked me for being so kind but13my patient was unlikely to express such feelings. To make sure his family could hear his14, I took my video camera with me the next morning and with the patients'15, recorded an open letter from him to his family. When I gave them the16letter, both his wife and son were moved to tears.
The experience17my letter project, which can help people complete their life review tasks: remembering to those we may have hurt;18those who have hurt us and saying “I love you”. It may take much courage to write a life review letter. For some people, it19deep and troubling emotions.20it may be the most important letter you will ever write.
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