My sister was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer the day after Christmas and passed away on Monday, February 3rd. Her journey battling this cancer was riddled with complications. She had several teams caring for her, including an oncology doctor, a gynecology doctor, a doctor specializing in heart and lungs, a hospitalist, a respiratory therapist, palliative care, and hospice. With that many different viewpoints, I was left feeling more confused after each team visited. Jake went out of his way to help my sister, me, and our family better understand the constellation of symptoms she was experiencing, the prognosis each team was telling us, and most importantly, what that meant for her values and goals as she approached the end of life.

I felt like Jake was able to connect with all of our family, both near and far, to help ease our anxieties, and that's no easy task because all families have dysfunction! He helped me understand what interventions were being offered to my sister so I could explain them to her in the moment, and he gave me the foresight to explore with her what her version of a dignified death would look like. And as best we could, I felt like we were able to give her that. Had it not been for Jake, I would not have known how to have those meaningful conversations with her, and I would not have been able to provide the calm support she needed in her final days. For all of that and more, I will forever remember Jake.