While reading news stories about India's Covid crisis, I came across a Quote mentioned by a journalist.

Even if I'm dying, until I actually die, I am still living. - Paul Kalanithi

I was so intrigued by this thoughtful saying that I went googling to find out about Paul.

And here is what I found:

Paul Sudhir Arul Kalanithi (April 1, 1977 – March 9, 2015) was an Indian-American neurosurgeon-neuroscientist.
He attended Stanford University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in English Literature and also a Bachelor of Science in Human Biology.
After Stanford, he attended the University of Cambridge, where he studied at Darwin College and graduated with a Master of Arts in the History and Philosophy of Science and Medicine.
Although he initially considered pursuing a Ph.D. in English Literature, but then he changed his mind and instead he attended the Yale School of Medicine, where he graduated in 2007 cum laude, winning the Dr. Louis H. Nahum Prize for his research on Tourette’s syndrome.
He was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society (ΑΩΑ).
After graduating from medical school, Kalanithi returned to Stanford to complete his residency training in neurosurgery and a postdoctoral fellowship in neuroscience at Stanford University School of Medicine.
In May 2013, Kalanithi was diagnosed with lung cancer. He died, aged 37, in March 2015.

He wrote a book 'When Breath Becomes Air' and reading this book reminded me of the countless people who've been suffering in India and dying due to a lack of oxygen during this ongoing Covid crisis.

Paul didn't live to see his published book. Though his oncologist said that he would live for 5 years, but his health quickly worsened as his cancer had metastasized. He wanted to add more chapters to the book but because of his failing health he couldn't; he dedicated the book to his baby daughter Cady and his wife Lucy published it posthumously.

The book is good. It can make a great movie if the director knows how to tell the story.

I bought the book from Book Depository. It gives free worldwide delivery.

https://www.bookdepository.com/When-Breath-Becomes-Air-Paul-Kalanithi/9781529110944?ref=grid-view&qid=1620243945918&sr=1-1

I've liked the book and give it a rating of 8/10.

You can know more about Paul from his Wikipedia profile.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Kalanithi

He was such a talented guy. He had so much more to give us but Death took him away from us.

Reading his wonderful book, I can see that he's such a gifted writer.

Had he lived long, he could have given us many more such good reads, as he was passionate about writing.

He was a non-smoker but still he got lung cancer.

I think, his excruciatingly long working hours and the stresses of an extremely hectic life might have adversely affected his health as we all know that stress is one major factor that causes all sorts of cancer.

Anyway, let's hope that his book keeps inspiring many more readers and people are able to learn from the immense knowledge he's shared in this book.

He was a very well-read person and also very adept in expressing himself in this memoir of his that makes fascinating reading.

So if you have some hours to spare, go and read When Breath Becomes Air

Take Care,
~ Aparna ~