The Existential Dispatch, Issue No. 56

A Word from the Founding Director

This issue takes its bearings from a neurosurgeon who wrote about living while dying. Paul Kalanithi’s sentence frames new work on demoralization and self-compassion in Seoul, evidence that the mental health of cancer survivors matters years after diagnosis, and two memoirs that think about death from the inside. It also carries a correction: the EAPC 2027 abstract deadline was October 31, 2026, not the December date given in Issues 49 and 54.

Existential Thinker of the Issue

Paul Kalanithi

“Even if I’m dying, until I actually die, I am still living.” — Paul Kalanithi, When Breath Becomes Air (2016) (fs.blog)

Kalanithi was in his final year of neurosurgical residency at Stanford when he was diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer at 36; he died in March 2015, and his memoir was published the following year. He describes how his oncologist declined to answer the question of how long he had and kept attention on what mattered to him, and how literature, more than prognosis, allowed him to return to work. For clinicians, his sentence is a reminder that a terminal diagnosis does not end a patient’s life as a project, and that our task includes protecting the time that remains for living.

In Academia

Self-compassion and demoralization in cancer. A Seoul National University Hospital team led by Park Hye-Yoon reports in Psycho-Oncology on ComWithYou, a five-session, one-on-one self-compassion program for 44 people with cancer; among participants with higher baseline demoralization who completed follow-up, 68% improved beyond measurement error. khan.co.kr

Mental health years after diagnosis. A Stanford Medicine study found that mental health disorders identified two to five years after a cancer diagnosis were associated with a 119% higher rate of cancer death, pointing to a period of vulnerability that survivorship care often overlooks. med.stanford.edu

In Film, Literature and Culture

Bluebird: The Place of Death and Fear of Dying in My Long, Good Life. Andrew Cooper’s new memoir traces fear of dying through early experience, illness, personal therapy and dreams; Margaret Rustin calls it “an intensely personal book about the meaning of death within life,” notable for joining the most intimate with the communal. firingthemind.com

The Hour of My Death: A Journal of the Year After I Died. Sibylline Press has released the final memoir of the novelist and poet Marge Piercy, a reflection on life, legacy and what she calls the gift of more time. natlawreview.com

In Healthcare (Global)

Manitoba nurses warn of escalating risk in Brandon’s emergency department. Nurses describe being threatened, punched and spat on, and link long wait times to rising agitation; recent incidents include a nurse threatened with a needle and a patient arriving with a weapon. ca.news.yahoo.com

California moves toward weapons screening at hospital entrances. A Cal/OSHA discussion draft would require screening at all unrestricted hospital entrances except the ambulance entrance, with at least eight hours of initial training for screeners; the Standards Board must adopt a final rule by March 1, 2027. natlawreview.com

Funding and Grant Opportunities

Ontario SPOR Support Unit EMPOWER Project Opportunity. Up to $25,000 for one year to support dissemination and knowledge translation with meaningful patient partnerships and relevance to Ontario patients and health system needs; the deadline is November 12, 2026. bloomberg.nursing.utoronto.ca

CIHR Project Grant, Spring 2027. Open to all areas of health research, including psychosocial, palliative and health services work; registration is due February 3, 2027, and the full application on March 3, 2027. ualberta.ca

Conferences and Events

Digital Legacy Conference and Death Online Research Symposium 2027. The University of Birmingham invites panels and practice or policy contributions on death, memory and digital life until November 27, 2026. plateforme-recherche-findevie.fr

Correction: EAPC 2027. Issues 49 and 54 stated that EAPC 2027 abstracts would close on December 5, 2026; the deadline was October 31, 2026, and it has now passed. We regret the error. palliative.ch

Startup and Innovation Watch

Immersive VR and AI support for distress during cancer treatment. Cleveland Clinic investigators report a significant reduction in distress among patients using immersive virtual reality during chemotherapy and are testing whether an AI-powered mental health app can augment standard psychotherapy; the open question is how such tools can deepen human presence without replacing it. consultqd.clevelandclinic.org

To Close: An Existential Joke

A patient asked the palliative care team how long he had left. “Long enough,” said the physician, “to stop asking us and start asking yourself what you want to do with it.”