How will I die: A good life, a young death?

Published: Monday, Feb. 27 2012 2:52 p.m. MST

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Summary

SANDY — When Megan Pilling was about 12 years old, her mother had her feel the lump. She'd been diagnosed with breast cancer and before it was cut away, she wanted all her daughters to know what they'd spend the rest of their lives watching out for.

She's not worried about medical decisions if she can no longer make them. Her husband will do just fine with that, she thinks. And while she wonders about the future, she's not living in the fretfulness of what might be.

Instead, she reaches into Makena's pile of Fruit Loops, gives her a huge smile and wink, then pops one in her mouth.

"I'm not dying today," she says.

Raising awareness

Editor's Note: Advance directive and end-of-life planning is an important and neglected topic. Families often shy away, and when crisis comes, relatives are left trying to guess what someone would have wanted. This week, Deseret Media Companies has joined a coalition to raise awareness about the issue, in conjunction with passage of SCR2, which asks Utahns to consider making their own decisions, appointing an agent and having those tricky conversations. The Deseret News and KSL TV will be running stories on the subject all week.

Click here to download advance care directive forms that can help you make decisions about the health care you would like to receive in the event of an unexpected and life-threatening occurrence.

EMAIL: lois@desnews.com, Twitter: Loisco

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Buzzards

LEHI, UT

Dying is easy, it's leaving your family behind that sucks. I have about 1.5-3 years left, depending on how long the chemo can hold the line. I've been dealing with this for over four years, so I am long ago over being scared, or mad at God, or More..

10:18 p.m. Feb. 27, 2012
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marxist

Salt Lake City, UT

This is a very unpleasant, but very useful series. It demonstrates that we are biological (and yes, spirtitual) beings. We ARE NOT just commercial entities, raw resources for production or machines. The problems is that our beloved capitalism More..

9:36 p.m. Feb. 27, 2012
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washcomom

Beaverton, OR

Thank you for tackling a taboo subject such as this. I've told my kids I want a big party - with happiness and fun things. The grief and emotions will all have their times, but when people are gathered in my memory, I want it to be joyful.

More..

12:14 p.m. Feb. 28, 2012
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