Takeaway
It is best for goals-of-care conversations to happen as early as possible. Clinicians can use these discussions to help guide shared decision making around end-of-life care.
Passion in the Medical Profession | September 30, 2025 | 1 min read
By Sonal Gandhi, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine
“I just wish my brother and I had a little more time left together,” my mom said to me over the phone. Her voice was trembling, heavy with sadness and emotion. My uncle had been quietly battling complications from radiation treatment for metastatic prostate cancer. Although he was diagnosed two years ago, he chose not to tell anyone. He didn’t want to be treated differently or be a source of sorrow.
By the time my mom and her siblings found out, the cancer had progressed. He was in the ICU with sepsis, multi-organ failure, and his body was slowly shutting down.
My mom flew out to be with him. She didn’t ask questions. She didn’t confront him about why he kept it to himself, despite feeling angry and heartbroken. Instead, she simply sat with him, held his hand, laughed, and prayed with him.
A few months prior to this, as my husband was preparing his applications for hematology-oncology fellowship, I remember asking him, “Why do you want to go into that specialty? It’s so heavy. Doesn’t it make you sad?”
He replied, “I want to do it so that it isn’t just sad. There’s so much research, so many new medications and therapies now—people can have meaningful and quality time after diagnosis. It’s emotionally intense, but I want to offer my patients and their families, the best possible care and time.”
He chose this specialty to do his best to give patients and loved ones a little more time—what my mom had wished she had.
Time to laugh.
Time to be together.
Time to hold hands.
Time to make memories.
This piece expresses the views solely of the author. It does not necessarily represent the views of any organization, including Johns Hopkins Medicine.