On this episode of Our American Stories, Theodore Schwartz, a neurosurgeon at Weill Cornell Medicine and best-selling author of Gray Matters: A Biography of Brain Surgery, shares how he approaches one of the most difficult responsibilities in medicine: delivering bad news to patients with terminal and late-stage brain cancer. Drawing on decades of experience, Dr. Schwartz explains how honesty, compassion, and clarity guide these conversations, even when there is no cure to offer. He reflects on what patients ask when time is short, how doctors prepare for moments medicine cannot fix, and why the way bad news is delivered can matter as much as the news itself.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, Theodore Schwartz, a neurosurgeon at Weill Cornell Medicine and best-selling author of&nbsp;<a href="https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FGray-Matters-Biography-Brain-Surgery%2Fdp%2F0593474104&amp;data=05%7C02%7CUraelBlackshear%40iheartmedia.com%7C8350f1cfaa64486ae21f08de51f6b93b%7C122a527e5b714eba878d9810b495b9e3%7C0%7C0%7C639038317295344443%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=MBsEIpAM0dRFJTxjeqENvj48B0eX5Ti4f27n1PayyG0%3D&amp;reserved=0" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="0">Gray Matters: A Biography of Brain Surgery</a>, shares how he approaches one of the most difficult responsibilities in medicine: delivering bad news to patients with terminal and late-stage brain cancer. Drawing on decades of experience, Dr. Schwartz explains how honesty, compassion, and clarity guide these conversations, even when there is no cure to offer. He reflects on what patients ask when time is short, how doctors prepare for moments medicine cannot fix, and why the way bad news is delivered can matter as much as the news itself.
Support the show (<a href="https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)">https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)</a>

Our American Stories tells stories that aren’t being told. Positive stories about generosity and courage, resilience and redemption, faith and love. Stories about the past and present. And stories about ordinary Americans who do extraordinary things each and every day. Stories from our listeners about their lives. And their history. In that pursuit, we hope we’ll be a place where listeners can refresh their spirit, and be inspired by our stories.

Our American Stories

How One Doctor Tells Patients They Are Dying

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/ea578018-69bc-4bd4-9b7c-b3d00177ca82/transcript