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Cathy Wurzer discusses "We Know How This Ends: Living while Dying." This event is cosponsored by Amherst H Wilder Foundation.

 

“In this exquisite book, Bruce H. Kramer finds adventure the most unlikely of places: the death sentence that is ALS. We Know How This Ends is a moving tale that teaches us more about living well than any self-help book ever can.”--Dan Buettner, author of The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who’ve Lived the Longest

A floppy foot and leg weakness led to a shattering diagnosis: Bruce H. Kramer had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. ALS is a cruel, unrelenting neurodegenerative disease in which the body’s muscles slowly weaken, including those used to move, swallow, talk, and ultimately breathe. There is no cure: ALS is a death sentence.

Rather than wallowing in sadness and bitterness, anger and denial, Kramer accepted the crushing diagnosis. The educator and musician recognized that if he wanted a meaningful life, then embracing his imminent death was his only viable option. His decision was the foundation for profound, personal reflection and growth, even as his body weakened, and inspired him to share the lessons he was learning from ALS about how to live as fully as possible, even in the midst of devastating grief.

At the time Kramer was diagnosed, broadcast journalist Cathy Wurzer was struggling with her own losses, especially her father’s slow descent into the bewildering world of dementia. Mutual friends put this unlikely pair--journalist and educator--together, and the serendipitous result has been a series of remarkable broadcast conversations, a deep friendship, and now this book.

Written with wisdom, genuine humor, and down-to-earth observations, We Know How This Ends is far more than a memoir. It is a dignified, courageous, and unflinching look at how acceptance of loss and inevitable death can lead us all to a more meaningful and fulfilling life.

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The Amherst H. Wilder Foundation is a nonprofit organization that helps children, families and older adults in the greater Saint Paul area through direct service programs, research, leadership development and community building. Established in 1906, the mission of the Wilder Foundation is to promote the social welfare of persons in the greater Saint Paul metropolitan area without regard to nationality, sex, color, religion, or prejudice. For more information about the Wilder Foundation, visit www.wilder.org.

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Bruce H. Kramer is former dean of the College of Education, Leadership, and Counseling at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is the creator of The Dis Ease Diary (http://diseasediary.wordpress.com), a popular blog about life with ALS, and coauthor of Leading Ethically in Schools and Other Organizations, a realistic look at leadership ethics.

The host of Minnesota Public Radio’s flagship news program Morning Edition, Cathy Wurzer has been broadcasting conversations with Bruce H. Kramer about his ALS experiences since 2011. She is also the cohost of Almanac on Twin Cities Public Television, the longest-running weekly public affairs program in the nation.

 

Date: 04/26/2015
Time: 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Place:

38 S Snelling Avenue
St Paul, MN 55105
United States