What was it about death in the United States? Why did it seem like Americans were so unprepared for it when it occurred? She had seen it again and again working in the ICU. People often did not want to talk about death with the dying, or be there with a relative when it happened. Why did we celebrate every milestone in life except this one? she wondered. Everyone wanted to be there to witness the beginning of life, but the ratio of birth to death was one to one. She would ask, “If your best one got on the slow boat to China, you would not be at the dock saying good-bye?”
