Recently, a retired physician Dr. von Gunten had been caring for died. He sent a note to the man's daughters, who asked him to be a pallbearer. “This was a well-respected man with many friends in the community,” said Dr. von Gunten, who accepted the invitation. “I felt not unlike I did when I was at my first funeral of a patient: What am I doing? Why am I here? But it was their way of saying, 'You were important to him. You're an important part of our family in the doctor role, and it's a place of honor.' It reaffirmed why I wanted to be a doctor. It was a very special day.”
Unfortunately, “the loud message … is, 'You should have no feelings about death,'”Dr. Charles F. von Gunten said. Ann Sturley