JCC Manhattan is excited to host Dr. Lucy Kalanithi on Wednesday, April 5th at 7:30 pm, as she shares her husband Paul’s story which was detailed in his NY Times’ bestselling memoir, When Breath Becomes Air, an intimate and stirring look at how the 36-year-old neurosurgeon dealt with his stage IV lung cancer diagnosis. This powerful book has impacted millions of readers who, through Dr. Kalanithi’s insightful writing, follow the journey of this doctor-turned-patient as he evaluates what it means to live.
The author of the book’s beautiful epilogue, Dr. Lucy Kalanithi will speak with Rabbi Mychal Springer, Director of the Center for Pastoral Education at The Jewish Theological Seminary about the journey her life has taken since its publication.
This event is sponsored by What Matters: Caring Conversations About End of Life. What Matters aims to engage New Yorkers in compassionate, value-driven conversations about advance care planning so that they may live with the comfort of knowing their choices will be honored by loved ones and healthcare professionals.
This initiative builds upon Respecting Choices, a program with proven success nationwide. In La Crosse, WI, where it began, 96 percent of the residents had an advance care plan; the national average is 25 percent. This effort will heighten awareness about the importance of completing advance care directives and enable individuals to thoughtfully consider and document their end-of-life preferences.
What Matters is a collaboration between JCC Manhattan, The New Jewish Home, and the Center for Pastoral Education at the Jewish Theological Seminary. This work is made possible through generous grants from Plaza Jewish Community Chapel and UJA Federation of New York.
Learn more about What Matters.
To purchase tickets for the April 5th event, click here.