When Breath Becomes Air - Paul Kalanithi

When it comes to When Breath Becomes Air, it gives me the motivation to write the blog in as much detail as possible. The previous blog on Being Mortal also falls under the same medicine domain. But in When Breath Becomes Air, it is all about the life journey of Paul—his personal and professional experiences are shared. It can be considered a memoir, as he passed away in between, and his wife, Lucy, completed the book. By this year, it has been a decade since Paul left the world, holding his memory close through When Breath Becomes Air.

Although it has been two years since I completed reading the book, I was going through it again to find important quotes to mention in the blog. The concept of perseverance is the one thing that stands at the top throughout the book. Paul Kalanithi was a neurosurgeon, and he handled various patients with many problems in his career. But when it came to his health, he was completely broken, yet the way he stood up to face the days that were counted is what inspired me.

Paul was diagnosed with lung cancer, and the moment after that was so painful for the whole family to handle. Even after the diagnosis, he started writing the book When Breath Becomes Air—the title itself suggests the complete journey of the book. He was so confident that he started the first chapter with "In perfect health, I begin." That is an important part, where he was completely ready to share all his experiences from his personal life.

The counted days are not counted when you are not ready to count them. There are times when we might feel everything is shattered, but in the end, you will see the light at the end. For Paul, the light was his family and the end of his suffering, which he didn’t want his family to go through with him. At times, he pushed everyone away for their own good. But in the end, he had to go!!!

"I can't go on. I'll go on."