Final Gifts
"Nearing Death Awareness" 
​Documented in 1992 through 2000+
 Client Experiences - Story Telling Research

In this moving and compassionate classic—now updated with new material from the authors—hospice nurses Maggie Callanan and Patricia Kelley share their intimate experiences with patients at the end of life, drawn from more than twenty years’ experience tending the terminally ill.

​Walk with then through this heart-light journey. Filled with practical advice on responding to the requests of the dying and helping them prepare emotionally & spiritually for death, Final Gifts shows how we can help the dying person live fully to the very end.

Hospice Nurses Maggie Callanan & Patricia Kelly  documented through their clinical stories: "We come to appreciate the near-miraculous ways in which the dying communicate their needs, reveal their feelings, and even choreograph their own final moments;. We also discover the gifts—of wisdom, faith, and love—that the dying leave for the living to share through "Nearing Death Awareness".

Book Reviews
“Treasure–clear, authentic, responsible, and profoundly moving.” —Sandol Stoddard, author of The Hospice Movement
“Beautifully written, illuminating and reassuring…Final Gifts is truly a gift to us all.” —Judy Tatelbaum, author of The Courage to Grieve
“These richly told stories enable us to respond to the dying in new and authentic ways.” —Ira R. Byock, M.D., author of Dying Well: The Prospect for Growth at the End of Life

 About Maggie
​Since becoming a hospice nurse in 1981, Maggie Callanan has studied, taught, and written about death and dying. This includes the unique and symbolic communication of the dying, which is often labeled as "confused language" and consequently often ignored by professional and family caregivers. Addressing medical, personal, emotional, and spiritual aspects of life's final journeys, Maggie delivers practical, no-nonsense answers to difficult questions tempered by humor, wisdom, and compassion. 

Tribute and thank you for leading the way to help us learn giving and receiving compassion & love.

• We honor Maggie as a world-renowned speaker on topics relating to the care of the dying, as well as coping strategies for hospice staff and volunteers.
• We appreciate her dedication, candid no-nonsense approach to life and those she serves.
• Her energy exudes caring, love and commitment to those she serves - a model for us to follow. 

Maggie was at the September 2023 Annual IANDS Conference held in Washington DC August 31 - Sept 2, 2023.
She presented commentary on newly released Architecture of Death: The Inner World of Dying with Johanna Lunn, William J. Peters author of "At Heaven's Door" 2022 on this film about death and dying. whenyoudie.org/death-film/

Stay tuned for upcoming events in support of families and individuals needing expert advice and help with this essential topic we all face. Like her father said to her many years ago: "The odds are against us."  "We all, will die!"

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