Paul Kalanithi was a neurosurgeon and writer. He held degrees in English literature, human biology, and history and philosophy of science and medicine from Stanford and Cambridge universities before graduating from Yale School of Medicine. And then, after months of weight loss and back pain, he was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer.

Kalanithi, of course, faced death in very different circumstances to the doctors and nurses who are facing it now.

He authored more than 20 scientific publications and received the American Academy of Neurological Surgery’s highest award for research.

Paul Kalanithi said his daughter, Cady, filled him with "a joy unknown to me in all my prior years." “We walked out of the operating room corridor together, toward the intensive care unit and I was complaining of being tired and worn out — and he looked at me and said, in his very satirical voice, ‘You know I have lung cancer, right?’ I looked at him with great surprise, as if such things shouldn’t be said out loud, and I’ll never forget what he said to me next. Kalanithi, I could not hold my tears while reading your story. The family is working on plans for a memorial service. They were young and talented doctors at Stanford Medical Center.

Strictly Necessary cookies enable core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility. His essays tapped an outpouring of gratitude from readers — from young people who had lost parents to seniors facing their own mortality, to teachers desiring to share his essay with students. But in When Breath Becomes Air, he perfectly describes the sacrifices made by those in the the medical profession, and provides us with an understanding of what is surely a calling, rather than a job. He was 37. In 2007, he graduated from Yale cum laude, winning the Lewis H. Nahum Prize, awarded for his research on Tourette’s syndrome, and membership in the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society. Box 20466, Stanford, CA, 94309-0466 ,or give online at https://giving.stanford.edu. Kalanithi returned to surgical duties soon after his bout of cancer, doing one surgery a day, but it was only when he took on a full workload again and was interacting with patients that the meaning of his work returned.

Your story has touched me deeply in a very positive way.”, Join the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute Mailing List, Diversity, Inclusion, Belonging, Equity and Justice, him and family in Arizona for the 2015 Super Bowl. He passed away on March 9.

Awe-inspiring and exquisite. Stanford neurosurgeon Paul Kalanithi, MD, who wrote eloquently and movingly about facing mortality after being diagnosed with lung cancer, died of the disease March 9. Registered office: 20 Vauxhall Bridge Rd, London. © Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305. , MD, who wrote eloquently and movingly about facing mortality after being diagnosed with lung cancer, died of the disease March 9. One day he was a doctor treating the dying, the next he was a patient struggling to live.

Most cases affect older people. Kalanithi is a clinical assistant professor at Stanford. You may disable these by changing your browser settings, but this may affect how the website functions. He also received the American Academy of Neurological Surgery’s highest award for research.

That was really touching.”.