Dying Well: Our Journey of Love and Loss

By: Susan Ducharme Hoben

Narrated by: Marie Hoffman

Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

Dying Well is an inspiring love story of how a man celebrated life while facing his death with grace and dignity. His widow guides you through decisions made and actions taken on their nine-month journey from diagnosis through celebrations and goodbyes, to a peaceful death free of fear and regret. She shares lessons learned as their family came to terms with her husband’s impending death and found ways to make this last stage of his life as loving and happy as possible. 

This uplifting end-of-life story offers a thought-provoking perspective on dying, one that may help you and those you love achieve what’s most important at the end of your lives.

"Susan Ducharme Hoben and her husband have given us the gift of intimate understanding, so readers can walk away from her book with an increased sense of compassion and empathy, with the tools necessary to ensure you can support your loved ones and yourself through complicated end-of-life decisions." (Philly Life and Culture)

"It's a must-read for anyone and everyone who has a family member with a terminal illness or is undergoing one, themselves. It gives you a perspective of how until death arrives, every moment of life is to be celebrated and made use of, with friendships fostered and relationships made even richer." (Reviewing Shelf)

"Susan did an excellent job in sharing end-of-life information in a non-threatening way. I feel like she took the 'scary' out of death planning. In the end, it is truly the person's life that should be celebrated. This book has the power to help anyone who is facing death and those they love realize what is most important at the end of life." (New Age Journal) 

"Dying Well is not about illness, but about embracing reality at the end of life and making the necessary decisions that honor a life well lived. Sue Hoben takes us along with her and her husband, Bruce, on this last journey together as a couple after he has a terminal diagnosis. They approach this transition the same way they approached all of life's challenges - with heart and humor shaped by their deep love and respect." (Judy L. Mandel, New York Times best-selling author of Replacement Child: A Memoir)

"Dying Well's account is a mix of love, sorrow, and practicality that is at the heart of what we, as a society, need to do to more normalize a process that modern medicine has tried so hard to shield us from." (Adam R. Silverman MD, FACP, Vice President, Population Health, Saint Francis Health Care Partners; Co-Chair, Care Decisions Connecticut) 

"This is a love story, but it is also an account of successful navigation of a complex medical system. Our society pushes death under the rug. The courage of Sue and Bruce Hoben includes a refusal to do so." (Henry Schneiderman MD, MACP; Section Chief, Geriatrics & Palliative Care, Saint Francis Hospital & Medical Center/Trinity Health of New England)

©2018 Susan Ducharme Hoben (P)2018 Susan Ducharme Hoben

Critic reviews

"This has been a difficult review to put together because it would be very easy to tell you not to read Dying Well: Our Journey of Love and Loss. Not because the book is not compelling and well written, but because the story of Bruce Hoben's terminal cancer diagnosis is heart-wrenching and at times difficult to take in. While Susan, her husband, and their friends and family come to terms with the reality of Bruce's situation, readers are invited to share in the intimate and complex emotional landscape of the death of a beloved husband, father, and Pa. If you or a loved one has ever had cancer, or if you just want to read an uplifting portrait of a dignified death, then Dying Well is an excellent book to pick up. But remember that this is a different kind of happy ending, and it will come with no shortage of heartbreak and tears. Hoben and her husband have given us the gift of intimate understanding, so readers can walk away from her book with an increased sense of compassion and empathy, with the tools necessary to ensure you can support your loved ones and yourself through complicated end-of-life decisions."- Philly Life and Culture

"It's easy to get tangled in Susan's life without realizing it. She weaves her life into a story, introduces the characters, makes us get a feel for them before venturing on to what happens to these characters. And this is precisely what happened. Reading Dying Well is not just about life and death but so much more. It's a lesson in dying and how to do it well; how to really live until the last moment of one's life when death is staring you in the eyes. This ensures there are no regrets and you have lived your life well. It's a must-read for anyone and everyone who has a family member with a terminal illness or is undergoing one, themselves. It gives you a perspective of how until death arrives, every moment of life is to be celebrated and made use of, with friendships fostered and relationships made even richer."- Reviewing Shelf

"This is a touching memoir that recounts her feelings of love and loss in connection to her husband, Bruce. Beyond the happy moments Hoben delves into the scarier and harder times that came about once Bruce was diagnosed. She shares so much with her readers that you feel as though you truly were a part of their lives. Dying Well is something that I would recommend to those who are themselves grieving or coping with a diagnosis and handling how to move forward. You will also very much want to have tissues ready because this story will tug at your heartstrings and fill you with love."- Nerdy Girl Express