One of the most compassionate physicians I've been privileged to know has passed away at age 84. Philip Dougherty, MD, of Menominee Falls, was an internist who dedicated himself to educating people about end-of-life planning. He saw too many patients die in a way that went against their own wishes because family members couldn't agree how to proceed.
I've pulled a six-minute segment from an interview I did with Doctor Dougherty back in 2007, when I interviewed him for my book, White Coat Wisdom. He would be thrilled that people learned more about the death process when hearing about his own passing.
Doctor Dougherty died at home on April 2, 2015. His son, Phil, says the family carried out his wishes almost exactly as he prescribed.