The Opinions cover image

The Opinions

When We Face the End of Life, ‘It’s Not Sadness We Should Fear. It’s Regret.’

Jan 9, 2025
Sarah Wildman, editor and writer for New York Times Opinion, shares her poignant journey following the loss of her 14-year-old daughter, Orli, to cancer. Wildman emphasizes the necessity of open conversations about mortality, arguing that health care providers should foster this dialogue instead of shying away. She believes that facing the end of life isn’t about sadness, but rather the fear of regret. Their family's experience illustrates the emotional depth of navigating hope and grief through such a profound struggle.
17:58

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • Sarah Wildman emphasizes the importance of frank and empathetic conversations about death between health care providers and families of terminally ill patients.
  • The podcast highlights the emotional struggle families face when balancing hope and despair while coming to terms with a child's terminal illness.

Deep dives

The Fragility of Hope

Facing childhood cancer often involves a complicated interplay of hope and despair. A family grappling with their daughter Orly's illness reflects on how hope can drive emotional resilience, yet also create unrealistic expectations. Orly, during the various stages of her treatment, often questioned why they believed she might finally overcome her disease. This duality highlights the inherent difficulty in balancing optimism with the harsh realities of a terminal prognosis.

Get the Snipd
podcast app

Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
App store bannerPlay store banner

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode

Save any
moment

Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways

Share
& Export

Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode