Dying to Tell You

“There’s something so precious about every day and every moment and living this beautiful gift.”

What does it mean to truly live when tomorrow is not guaranteed? In this moving episode, Joe shares his journey through the unexpected diagnosis of multiple myeloma, the challenges of treatment, and the profound lessons learned along the way.

With honesty, humor, and deep faith, Joe invites us to consider what matters most—embracing eac...

"Inright outright upright downright"

Join host Cody for another heartfelt reflection as he revisits last week's uplifting conversation with Aaron, a courageous young cancer patient who is facing his adversity with positivity and faith. (Aaron started back to college this week, by the way, and you can follow him on Tik Tok here!)

We often talk about hope and resilience in the face of difficulty, but this week Cody tackles the idea o...

Find out what happens when a college freshman is faced with a life-changing cancer diagnosis—and chooses hope over fear. 

Meet Aaron, our guest this week on Dying To Tell You whose youth and optimism shine through every challenge. Aaron shares how, at just 19, he turned a cancer diagnosis—curable but let's be honest...still cancer—into a source of strength, gratitude, and purpose.

His story is a testament to the power of positivity...

"We only get to do this life once."

In this deeply personal reflection, Cody share his own experience of learning that his mom was in the hospital for chest pain. She underwent bypass surgery and Cody flew home to find himself in the center of a story he's seen played out countless times—in a waiting room with family, anxious to see their loved one recovering in the ICU.

Last week's episode with Kelly was such an inspiring reminde...

"Life Goes On" —Kelly

In this episode of Dying to Tell You, Cody sits down with Kelly, who is living with an ALS diagnosis. Kelly shares her journey from the onset of her symptoms to her diagnosis and how she has found community and strength through social media.

Kelly talks candidly about the emotional and physical challenges of living with ALS, how she stays optimistic, and the importance of living life to the fullest despite he...

In this heartfelt reflection of last week's episode with Jeopardy Champion and author Jeff Stewart, palliative care chaplain and host Cody shares powerful insights on the importance of consideration and empathy when facing life-limiting illness.

Drawing from his real hospital experiences, Cody discusses the emotional complexities of cancer treatment decisions, family communication, and the courage it takes to honor both personal ne...

A surprise stomach cancer diagnosis born of an attempt to donate a kidney gave Jeff the time and space to reflect on life, death, and what he could give his family both before and after he’s gone.

In this episode of Dying to Tell You, Cody interviews cancer patient and Jeopardy champion Jeff Stewart. Jeff, a renowned microbiologist and author of the book "Living: Inspiration from a Fa...

"I remember thinking...oh! That's what it was about!"

Our first guest of Season 3 is Sue, who joined us all the way from Australia. And although she isn’t our first international guest, nor is she even our first guest from Australia, Sue’s story is certainly a first for us.

Sue shares with us the moment she found out she had advanced stage cancer, a moment in which she experienced a t...

Linda was a guest in Season One of Dying To Tell You, a fiery and hilarious woman facing a terminal diagnosis from kidney cancer. So much of Cody's conversation with Linda orbits around the very difficult challenge of letting things go. A lesson from the end of life that can—and should—resonate with anyone, regardless of their current health or prognosis. 

As we get ready for Season Three starting next week (!), please enjoy this e...

—Call ‪(720) 600-7056‬ and leave a message for your loved ones—

Inspired by the beautiful idea behind Japanese wind phones, we want to welcome you to a new effort here at Dying To Tell You, a way for you to leave messages for loved ones who have passed on. It's called By The Way, and while it is a phone number and a voicemail box, it is also so much more. 

You are invited to use this number to leave a message for anyone who is no l...

Lisa Pahl, LCSW shares how a patient she encountered early in her hospice career taught her how even the worst experiences can help us grow.

Lisa is the co-creator of The Death Deck and The E•O•L Deck, tools that inspire meaningful conversations on what matters most in our lives and in our deaths.

As a licensed clinical social worker with over 17 years of experience within hospice and emergency medicine, Lisa helps people cope with...

"In this line of work, you can't see death as failure. But in this case…very much felt like a failure. I hadn’t controlled his pain.”

A brief note of caution: as the title suggests, this episode contains a story involving death by suicide.

Dr. Laura Kennedy, a palliative care physician, shares a tragic story with Cody from early in her practice—an experience that was, in her own words, "devastating." What sh...

This week, we check back in with former guest and irrepressible force Deanna! A few weeks back, we drove up to Casper, WY to meet Deanna in person for the first time. And during our lovely visit, we all decided it was time for a public update on Deanna, who was diagnosed with ALS at the start of 2024. 

Deanna has moved to in-patient hospice in recent months and, along with her husband Oren, wanted to share her experience with us an...

One question opened up a world of understanding for Dr. Andy Robinson early in his career: "What do you feel we should know that we don't?"

It was asked by social worker to a reticent patient, who then exclaimed how nobody knew who we WAS; they only knew who he is now...a patient who was dying.

This question and the response it created has stuck with Dr. Andy over the decades and underscored the importance of finding out not just w...