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

On this episode of Our American Stories, the late historian David McCullough explains why America’s Founding Fathers cannot be understood as ordinary people living modern lives. Drawing on his deep study of figures like John and Abigail Adams, McCullough describes a world shaped by slow communication, constant risk, and immense personal responsibility. Decisions were made without instant news, quick consultation, or shared blame, and the consequences were often life or death. McCullough argues that to understand the founders, we must understand the culture they lived in, the hardships they endured, and the moral weight they carried. It is a reminder that history is not abstract and that character is formed under pressure.

Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)

On this episode of Our American Stories, the late historian David McCullough explains why America&rsquo;s Founding Fathers cannot be understood as ordinary people living modern lives. Drawing on his deep study of figures like John and Abigail Adams, McCullough describes a world shaped by slow communication, constant risk, and immense personal responsibility. Decisions were made without instant news, quick consultation, or shared blame, and the consequences were often life or death. McCullough argues that to understand the founders, we must understand the culture they lived in, the hardships they endured, and the moral weight they carried. It is a reminder that history is not abstract and that character is formed under pressure.
Support the show (<a href="https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)">https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)</a>

David McCullough on Why the Founding Fathers Were Not Like Us

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/22ea477b-2bd4-400c-a174-b3d00177ca83/transcript

On this episode of Our American Stories, while on a mission trip to Thailand, a modern worship band found itself playing an impromptu set inside a brothel in Pattaya, one of the world’s most notorious centers for sex tourism. In that unlikely setting, the song “God of This City” was written in real time by members of the Belfast-based band Bluetree. Our own Greg Hengler tells the story of how that moment gave birth to a powerful worship anthem that later caught the attention of Chris Tomlin and went on to be sung in churches around the world. It is a story about faith, courage, and light appearing in the darkest places.

Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)

On this episode of Our American Stories, while on a mission trip to Thailand, a modern worship band found itself playing an impromptu set inside a brothel in Pattaya, one of the world&rsquo;s most notorious centers for sex tourism. In that unlikely setting, the song &ldquo;God of This City&rdquo; was written in real time by members of the Belfast-based band Bluetree. Our own Greg Hengler tells the story of how that moment gave birth to a powerful worship anthem that later caught the attention of Chris Tomlin and went on to be sung in churches around the world. It is a story about faith, courage, and light appearing in the darkest places.
Support the show (<a href="https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)">https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)</a>

How “God of This City” Was Written in the Unlikeliest Place

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/1209569d-c4cb-46c3-a3ad-b3d00177ca86/transcript

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On this episode of Our American Stories, In the earliest days of settlement, America became a testing ground for bold ideas about faith, freedom, and self-rule. In this episode of our ongoing Story of America Series, historian Wilfred McClay, author of Land of Hope, examines the colonies founded by Puritans, Quakers, and reformers who believed the New World could perfect what the Old World could not. From Massachusetts Bay to Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and Georgia, these communities pursued religious liberty and social renewal, often with utopian hopes that quickly ran into human limits. McClay explains why these failed experiments still mattered, how they encouraged habits of self-government, and why idealism and adaptability became lasting traits of the American character.

Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)

On this episode of Our American Stories, In the earliest days of settlement, America became a testing ground for bold ideas about faith, freedom, and self-rule. In this episode of our ongoing&nbsp;<a href="https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ouramericanstories.com%2Fpodcast%2Fthe-story-of-america-series&amp;data=05%7C02%7CUraelBlackshear%40iheartmedia.com%7C8350f1cfaa64486ae21f08de51f6b93b%7C122a527e5b714eba878d9810b495b9e3%7C0%7C0%7C639038317295389449%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=3MEm0WiG1g%2BPVzhqqlZEifxErWrtzI61M4KOEmnKyIU%3D&amp;reserved=0" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="2">Story of America Series</a>, historian Wilfred McClay, author of<a href="https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FLand-Hope-Invitation-Great-American%2Fdp%2F1594039372&amp;data=05%7C02%7CUraelBlackshear%40iheartmedia.com%7C8350f1cfaa64486ae21f08de51f6b93b%7C122a527e5b714eba878d9810b495b9e3%7C0%7C0%7C639038317295410401%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=d1nbdlp3u0znUbfQRrHx4y7OyuwggmkFeiStbChZiUg%3D&amp;reserved=0" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="3">&nbsp;Land of Hope</a>, examines the colonies founded by Puritans, Quakers, and reformers who believed the New World could perfect what the Old World could not. From Massachusetts Bay to Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and Georgia, these communities pursued religious liberty and social renewal, often with utopian hopes that quickly ran into human limits. McClay explains why these failed experiments still mattered, how they encouraged habits of self-government, and why idealism and adaptability became lasting traits of the American character.
Support the show (<a href="https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)">https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)</a>

The Story of America: Failed Experiments in Utopia [Ep. 3]

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/4d695ffc-d225-4550-b4f3-b3d00177ca7e/transcript

How One Doctor Tells Patients They Are Dying

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