Making Peace with the End of Life: A clear and comforting guide to help you live well to the last

‘Beautifully written – very gentle, personal and not at all frightening – a great resource for both patients and professionals when reassurance is needed.’ Doreen O’Hara, COPD Specialist Nurse

‘A very helpful gathering of advice, support and information for the huge majority who don’t know how to navigate the system.’ Dr Rachel Sheils, Consultant in Palliative Medicine

From GP and hospice doctor Patrick Fitzgerald and bestselling author Sarah Rayner (Making Friends with Anxiety, One Moment, One Morning) comes a warm and wise companion to help support you and those caring for you in the last months, weeks and days of life.

From the shock of diagnosis, through treatment options and symptom control to the process of dying itself, Making Peace with the End of Life tackles these sensitive issues with compassion and honesty. Full of practical advice and important contact information, it will also help to demystify how the NHS and Social Services work, so you can access the best support more easily. And, drawing on Patrick’s extensive clinical experience, it also looks at how communicating your wishes to those involved in your care can give a feeling of safety and control over whatever happens in the future.

There are tips on self-nurturing using diet, light exercise and alternative therapies, plus guidance on how to care for your own mental health – including advice for carers. And for those who are anxious about what lies ahead, patient stories and quotes from those who’ve been there help to explain what to expect, thereby easing worry and panic so you feel less alone.

Offset by Sarah’s joyful illustrations, the result is a clear and compassionate guide that aims to make these complex and distressing issues less confusing and overwhelming, so each individual can live the life they have left with a greater sense of comfort and peace.

Sarah Rayner is the author of five novels including the international bestseller, One Moment, One Morning and the two follow-ups, The Two Week Wait and Another Night, Another Day. Friendship is a theme common to Sarah's novels, and her non-fiction titles too. In 2014 she published Making Friends with Anxiety, a warm and supportive little book to help ease worry and panic. This was followed by a series of books including Making Friends with the Menopause and Making Friends with Depression. In 2017 Sarah set up the small press, creativepumpkinpublishing.com and Making Friends with your Fertility is one of its launch titles. Sarah lives in Brighton with her husband, Tom, and stepson, Seb. You can hook up with her on Facebook, on Twitter and via her author website, www.sarah-rayner.com, where you can sign up for her mailing list.

Patrick Fitzgerald is a General Practitioner and hospice doctor working in Cheshire. He studied medicine in London and became a GP in 2007. He has a special interest in cancer and palliative care and has worked as a GP educator for Macmillan Cancer Care, in hospices and with community and hospital palliative care teams.