Facing Death, Oliver Sacks Says He Wants to Live ‘in the Richest, Deepest, Most Productive’ Way
Oliver Sacks at the Brooklyn Book Festival in 2009. (Nightscream/CC BY 3.0)
On revealing that he has terminal cancer, the famed neurologist Oliver Sacks has displayed an admirably positive, and even courageous, attitude.
The author of “Awakenings” and “The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat” disclosed his illness in an article in The New York Times, saying, “My luck has run out — a few weeks ago I learned that I have multiple metastases in the liver.”
He wrote: “It is up to me now to choose how to live out the months that remain to me. I have to live in the richest, deepest, most productive way I can.”
According to The Guardian, Sacks said “he would no longer watch the evening news, or pay attention to arguments over politics or climate change.”
He admitted he had some fear about dying, and discussed the sadness of seeing friends and loved ones die before him. “Over the last few days, I have been able to see my life as from a great altitude, as a sort of landscape, and with a deepening sense of the connection of all its parts. This does not mean I am finished with life,” he wrote. “On the contrary, I feel intensely alive, and I want and hope in the time that remains to deepen my friendships, to say farewell to those I love, to write more.”
— Posted by Alexander Reed Kelly.
Wait, before you go…If you're reading this, you probably already know that non-profit, independent journalism is under threat worldwide. Independent news sites are overshadowed by larger heavily funded mainstream media that inundate us with hype and noise that barely scratch the surface. We believe that our readers deserve to know the full story. Truthdig writers bravely dig beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that tells you what’s really happening and who’s rolling up their sleeves to do something about it.
Like you, we believe a well-informed public that doesn’t have blind faith in the status quo can help change the world. Your contribution of as little as $5 monthly or $35 annually will make you a groundbreaking member and lays the foundation of our work.
Support Truthdig
TD Original
Glyphosate is linked to the decline of honey bees and everything from cancer, autism and irritable bowel syndrome in humans.
Environment
Experts say the Inflation Reduction Act's push for biogas is "one step forward and two steps back."
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.