Final Chapters

''The milkman cried when I told him you were dead.'Last night,' I said, 'Mark died.'''This collection brings together 30 short stories and poems about dying and bereavement. Written by mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, wives, husbands and dying people, these moving pieces talk honestly about how it feels to care for someone who is dying, to grieve for a loved one, and to face death oneself.A candid story about a daughter's relationship with her mother's carer; an internal monologue on dementia; a deeply moving poem about losing a son to cot death; and a heartfelt story about a mother's end of life are some of the poignant pieces included. This collection provides an opportunity to think and talk about death and dying, too often a taboo subject, and offers readers the rare comfort and support of shared experience.The stories and poems in this collection were originally written for a competition run by the Dying Matters Coalition. The Dying Matters Coalition was set up by the National Council for Palliative Care in 2009 to help transform public attitudes towards dying, death and bereavement. Its 30,000 members include charities, care homes, hospices, hospitals, funeral directors, legal and financial organisations, doctors, nurses and other individuals. The Dying Matters website has a wide range of free resources to help people to talk more openly about dying, death, bereavement and their end of life wishes. The website can be found at www.dyingmatters.org. All royalties from Final Chapters will be paid to the National Council of Palliative Care (registered charity no. 1005671).