What Dying Patients Taught This Doctor About The Fear Of Death: Fahad Saeed (Transcript)

Full text of nephrologist Fahad Saeed’s talk: What dying patients taught this doctor about the fear of death at TEDxRochester conference.

Listen to the MP3 Audio here:

TRANSCRIPT:

Dr. Fahad Saeed – Nephrologist & Palliative Care Specialist

During recent years, medical science has made considerable advances.

The latest study published in one of the most prestigious medical journals has totally changed the way we think about living. This study showed that life may not be survivable.

And the chart here shows 100% of us will die. It’s not me saying it; it’s science.

While talking about your death, I am perhaps exposing you to one of your worst fears and one of mine. I’m a researcher; I’m a kidney doctor. I’m also a palliative care and hospice doctor.

Being someone who deals with death and dying on a day-to-day basis does not make me any better or worse than the rest of you when it comes to facing my own mortality. We’re all in this together.

Let me share with you my own journey with the fear of death.

I am an immigrant to this country, which is now my country. I came here after completing my medical school. I still remember that one cold night in New York City when I had no place to live, I had budgeted ten dollars a day to survive for next five months.