Editor's Page: October 28, 2025 | JACC

Dr. Harlan Krumholz reflects on the profound impact of experiencing a patient's death for the first time, describing how medical training often leaves clinicians unprepared for the emotional and communicative challenges that follow. Over time, he developed a compassionate framework for speaking with grieving families—honoring the deceased, reassuring them about suffering, releasing them from guilt, and recognizing the love present—to help shape how loss is experienced and remembered. He urges physicians to share their own stories of patient loss, emphasizing that medicine is not only about prolonging life but also about caring deeply and meaningfully when life ends.