Living on, with Heartbreak

This is an incredibly touching part of a great series by the Baltimore Sun on the effect of the death of a child. The series is inspired by an Institute of Medicine report on the failure of the U.S. healthcare system to respond to issues in terminal illness and death of children more generally:

Too many sick children endure aggressive procedures and treatments. Too many won't get the pain medicine they need. Many go months and years, cycling in and out of hospitals, without emotional and other support, concluded the Institute of Medicine in its report "When Children Die." In calling for more research and better training, the institute urged organized medicine and others to look at what has been a hidden issue.

"It is a painful thing to sit and dwell upon, that there is undue suffering happening to and with our babies and children," said Lizabeth Sumner, a member of the IOM committee who pioneered hospice programs for children in San Diego. "There will always be kids who die of something. As a society, how are we going to choose to respond to that situation?"