Learn about the specialty of pediatric palliative care and how one doctor has benefitted from his relationship with his seriously ill patients.
My guest Dr. Bob Macauley is one of only a few hundred pediatricians in the U.S. specializing in palliative care for children with life-threatening illness. Uniquely Dr. Macauley attended both divinity school and medical school at the same time, which gives him a spiritual perspective on palliative care as well. He is the author of the recently published book Because I Knew You: How Some Remarkable Sick Kids Healed a Doctor’s Soul. Learn more at his website:
This episode includes:
- What makes pediatric palliative care different from adult care
- How children understand and cope with their own mortality
- How his training as both a doctor and an Episcopal priest intersect in his approach to care
- Some of the remarkable stories of children he has encountered
- The challenges and rewards of supporting families during the most vulnerable times
- Why the presence of joy and sorrow often coexist in children’s experiences
- The spiritual and emotional lessons Dr. Macauley has learned from his work
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