Content Warning: This section references death and dying, including descriptions of a healthcare system that at times fails patients, as well as descriptions of ailments such as Alzheimer’s. It also touches on abortion.

Vlahos defines hospice as end-of-life care for a patient who has decided to no longer receive treatment. Patients are admitted into hospice based on a medical professional’s prediction that they have less than six months to live, but the amount of time people end up staying in hospice ranges from much less than this to much more. However, Vlahos’s practical explanation of hospice care does not encompass all that it in fact is and demands. As Vlahos tells stories of her patients, it becomes clear that it is not always easy or intuitive to offer patients care and comfort rather than treatment. Vlahos must learn, relearn, and advocate for comfort over treatment throughout the book.

An Episcopalian is a member of the Episcopal Church: a Protestant sect of Christianity within the broader Anglican Communion. Vlahos was raised and went to school in the Episcopal Church but struggles with accepting its teachings unthinkingly rather than asking questions. Having seen suffering in the world, she particularly wonders how an all-powerful God could let that happen.