When Breath Becomes Air

How do you live life when you know only a few months spare by, with the finiteness of it all so evident? This is the very question Dr. Paul is faced with when he learns about his terminal illness. He has been a diligent and hard-working student throughout his life, and is now so close to achieving what he has always strived for. He was nearing the completion of his medical residency and was heir apparent to a Stanford position that allowed him to work as both a researcher and a surgeon. But with his inoperable lung cancer, all his life plans come to a halt.

Dr. Paul started writing this book when he was well aware of his limited time with us, determined to share his ideas with the world. The thing that stuck with me after reading this book was a newfound appreciation and respect for the finiteness of life. We all need to make the best of the time that we have left. At times, I myself become forgetful of this finiteness, and complacency starts creeping into my attitude; in those moments, this book would serve as a reminder to give my absolute best every single time.

Apart from these larger lessons, I also developed an appreciation for the profession of surgeons. The selfless role that they play in society. Every day, their actions tackle the matters of life or death of the patients, I don’t know of any other profession where the immediate results of one’s action are so profound. This makes me really want to befriend a surgeon, learn about their experiences and hopefully offer my companionship in their tough job!

P.S. I read this book when I was spending my summer at the CVIG lab at IIT Gandhinagar. I should have written this right after completing the book, but I couldn’t. I emphasize on doing this exercise right after because later the memory fades away, and what remains is a filtered version of an already filtered understanding. Nonetheless, these truly reflect my key takeaways from the book, because I remember them even when more than a month has passed by.