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End-of-life discussion
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Most of you will not be surprised to find out that our society does not do a good job at discussing and dealing with death. But in the era of blogs, Twitter and Facebook, more people are speaking out openly about dying and death. This raises the issue of whether this is "appropriate" to discuss end-of-life in a blog. (My take: It's their blog, it's their business. If it makes you uncomfortable, then don't read it or comment on it.)
As a health care provider, I find some insight in these blogs if the writer had some negative experience about their treatment or how the doctor delivered bad news. I also think this is a good thing for the whole Internet to read, because somehow many of us have a very unrealistic belief that we will not die. I have met 90 plus year-olds who had never considered their wishes for their end-of-life, and had not considered a living will or health care power of attorney document. Likewise, I am always a bit shocked at the obituaries that say "she died unexpectedly at the age of 87" or some such senior age. Is it really that unexpected?
In a related vein, I am seeing more people sharing very publicly the story of their cancer (here is a young woman who received a diagnosis of lymphoma, and at the time had no health care insurance.) The more we talk about it, the less mystery and fear there is, since most of our lives will be touched by cancer at some point. To claim that this is somewhat not "appropriate" to discuss, is frankly outrageous.