When one refers to terminal illness, the first word that usually comes to mind is cancer, a frightening thought. But many cancers are not terminal, and illnesses such as emphysema and kidney or congestive heart failure may also, at times, be included in the realm of terminal illnesses.

When dealing with a family who has received the devastating news that their loved one – child, spouse, parent, or any other family member – has been diagnosed with a terminal illness, hope must never be taken away from them, as gloomy as the caring physician may paint the picture. We must be realistic, but we must also always be hopeful.