Leaning In to Serious Illness Care Through Stories and Science

This volume was planned prior to the COVID-19 pandemic as the North Carolina Institute of Medicine (NCIOM) completed a yearlong task force on serious illness. Beyond the task force report, we wanted to dedicate a special edition of the NCMJ to serious illness issues. We commissioned authors who could discuss the challenges, the current practices, and the extensive personal and professional skills needed to navigate these complicated medical diagnoses that often end in death. Little did we know how timely this would be in light of the current pandemic, and we can only speculate on how the world will look as this is published. Our pre-COVID planning reflected personal experiences we all face with the common denominator of serious illness impacting and shaping our lives. As guest editors, we considered how this NCMJ edition would address personal concerns for you, our reader, as well as ourselves. A physician, a social worker, and a nurse, we each have our stories and we want to invite you to lean in and bring both your head and your heart to this reading. We start by relating two very personal experiences that shaped not only life following loss, but also career choices, clinical practices, and scholarship. As you focus on this journal's content, we hope you will also reflect on the people you care for, as well as the issues we all inevitably face.