(Bloomberg) How a Dying Grandmother Shaped Japan’s End-of-Life Debate

After I published a story about my grandmother’s dilemma on July 24 last year, I received hundreds of emails and letters from readers worldwide. Some wrote about struggles they’d experienced with their relatives. Others were anxious about their parent-care challenges ahead.

“I have never cried when reading a Bloomberg story,” wrote one reader. “I am going to make sure to talk with my grandmother about what she wants when she reaches that point.”

The story was also read by medical professionals. Kojiro Tokutake, a Japanese gastroenterologist, shared his story about his own internal conflict about the value of tube feeding. His experiences formed the basis of another story that I published.

Read it all.

Posted in * Culture-Watch, * International News & Commentary, Aging / the Elderly, Asia, Children, Ethics / Moral Theology, Health & Medicine, Japan, Law & Legal Issues, Life Ethics, Marriage & Family, Psychology, Religion & Culture, Theology