Condition: BRAND NEW
ISBN: 9781517904180
Format: Trade paperback (US)
Year: 2017
Publisher: University of Minnesota Press


Description:


Written
with wisdom, genuine humor, and down-to-earth observations,We Know How
This Endsis far more than a memoir about life with ALS. It is a
dignified, courageous, and unflinching look at how acceptance of loss and inevitable
death can lead us all to a more meaningful and fulfilling life.

2010 had been a very good year for Bruce H. Kramer. But what began as a floppy foot and leg weakness led to a shattering diagnosis: he had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. ALS is a cruel, unrelenting neurodegenerative disease in which the body's muscles slowly weaken, including those used to move, swallow, talk, and ultimately breathe. There is no cure: ALS is a death sentence.When death is a constant companion, sitting too closely beside you at the dinner table, colouring your thoughts and feelings and words, your outlook on life is utterly transformed.

The perspective and insights offered in We Know How This Ends reveal this daily reality and inspire a way forward for anyone who has suffered major loss and for anyone who surely will. Rather than wallowing in sadness and bitterness, anger and denial, Kramer accepted the crushing diagnosis. The educator and musician recognised that if he wanted a meaningful life, then embracing his imminent death was his only viable option. His decision was the foundation for profound, personal reflection and growth, even as his body weakened, and inspired him to share the lessons he was learning from ALS about how to live as fully as possible, even in the midst of devastating grief.

At the time Kramer was diagnosed, broadcast journalist Cathy Wurzer was struggling