When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalinithi *****

The author was only 37 years old, a brilliant neurosurgeon just finishing his residency, when he was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, a cancer which had spread to his brain. He was also a student of philosophy and literature- an underachiever he was definitely not- and in the midst of this diagnosis, he was able to find strength and purpose in writing about his journey. This book is the result. 

I heard his wife, who completed the book after his death,  on CBC while driving from Ottawa to Toronto, and knew this was a book I had to read. 

He doesn't just write about his cancer, he writes about his experiences as a doctor, the triumphs and the losses. And what struck me the most was his sense of purpose - that until he died, he would keep on living as fully as he could. 

There are some wonderful highlights on my Kindle, too.

His wife, Lucy, herself a doctor, wrote about his final days in the epilogue. This was not a sad story at all, rather a wonderful tale of living in the moment.