Daddy, This Is It. Being-with My Dying Dad

Written by Julie Saeger Nierenberg

Narrated by Denice Stradling

My father lived an inspiring End of Life, a journey of courage, sorrow, wonder and assurances of Eternal Love. And before he passed, he encouraged me to share the story of his transition with you.

Learning he had metastatic cancer, Dad faced that fact by choosing to live fully for the rest of his days. When cancer treatments beat him down, he rallied by setting small physical goals and systematically beating them. Time and again, his doctors preserved the human body where the tumors grew with new methods of treatment, until there was nothing more they could do to prevent the inevitable.

When he heard there were no more medical options, Dad was shocked. He didn't feel like dying. He felt full of life and longing to live. He was angry and sad, disappointed and confused, scared and brave, unaccepting and, finally, accepting. With courage and amazing grace, he lovingly prepared our family for his passing. As our time together came to an end, I was grateful to be present.

Although death is an inevitable part of life, how we choose to be-with the dying and the bereaved is up to us. I encourage you to prepare and to embrace the possibility of a lovingly supported transition and, to that end, include some resources that may help you. Being ready to be-with is a wonderful way to live.  

• Language: English
• Publisher: CreateWrite Enterprises
• Release date: Feb 13, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664960800

Julie Saeger Nierenberg

Julie Saeger Nierenberg is a freelance writer, lifelong educator and artist. Inspired by the experience of her father's dying and death, Julie published a short memoir about her family's grief and loss. Daddy, this is it. Being-with My Dying Dad launched a true journey of connection and transformation, as Julie reached out to share it with those who assist the dying and bereaved. Following that memoir's publication, Julie received numerous end-of life stories from others. Some of these are available in Journey's End: Death, Dying and the End of Life, the 2017 anthology of over 50 perspectives on the topic. Writing and publishing in this heart-led direction, Julie hopes to contribute to a cultural shift in how we prepare and support others in the final chapter of life. Julie now helps to facilitate others in choosing and documenting their end-of-life plans using the Before I Go Solutions method.