The discussion that we had in class last week reminded me of one of my favorite books, When Breath Becomes Air by Dr. Paul Kalanithi. Dr. Kalanithi recounts his experience as both a doctor and a patient after he receives his diagnosis of stage IV metastatic lung cancer in his final year of neurosurgical residency at Stanford. He philosophizes about what it means to live as he spends his last days.

Dr. Kalanithi’s road to medical school is unconventional as well– he earned his Bachelors in English Literature and Human Biology and Master of Arts in English Literature from Stanford, then a Master of Philosophy at Cambridge, before earning his MD from Yale.

While I was reading the book, it was clear to me that Dr. Kalanithi had a strong background in the humanities as he beautifully weaves words together with ease. It was quite an emotional read for me and I can’t possibly give a summary or review that does this heart-gripping book justice, so I suggest you go read it instead.

The free pdf can be found here. I also have the hard copy if anyone would like to borrow it.

With this book and his legacy, Dr. Kalanithi lives on.

TM