#43 - The Conversation No One Wants to Have With a Child
What do you say to a child who asks, “Am I going to die?”
In this anonymous call, a physician who works with children who have cancer and has training in palliative and hospice care talks about what it’s like to face that question honestly.
The conversation includes a story about having to tell a seven-year-old patient that she is going to die. A moment most of us hope we never have to navigate. Rather than approaching it with explanation or reassurance, the caller describes what it looks like to stay present, speak clearly, and allow fear, grief, and care to exist at the same time.
What unfolds is not a dramatic or instructional conversation. The caller reflects on how children understand death, why avoiding these conversations often creates more fear, and how much intention still matters even when the outcome can’t be changed.
The conversation also touches on the loss of the callers father and what it’s like to move between roles of clinician and family member, and to sit with loss without trying to resolve it.
This episode offers a clear example of what these conversations can sound like when honesty and care are given priority.
Book Recommendations: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams); American Gods (Neil Gaiman)
If you’d like to watch this conversation instead of just listening, you can find the video version on YouTube.
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