Use the dropdown menu in the navy blue area above to read the articles of this center. Throughout our lives, we experience many transitions.  Death is a transition that has been compared to birth - in reverse.  Many changes occur in families when a new family member arrives or a family member leaves.  Roles, relationships, and responsibilities of family members shift during these transitions.   The process of dying may be: A slow steady decline over many years. A chronic illness that patients and family members accept and adjust to. An up and down roller coaster with multiple life threatening episodes separated by times of feeling well, being told you are free of disease, or in remission. A very sudden illness and death. Sometimes patients and families have a sense that the end is near, and sometimes they are caught off guard due to an aggressive disease, a sudden recurrence when things were looking good, or complications.  Whatever the process, you need to trust that you know when the end is near.  The process of dying is very different for each of us.  cancerpage.com encourages you to pick and choose the information in the Transitions Center that best fits for you each time you visit.  Use the dropdown menu in the navy blue area above to get to the different articles that make up this center. You may also click on the article links below. Each article can be printed without all the extraneous information needed on a web page. Just click on the "view printable document"  graphic near the top of each article to open a new low-graphic page for printing. When you are done printing, click on the close graphic to close the print-only window.  I When Treatment No Longer Works II Deciding to Forego Treatment III Advance Directives IV Feelings V Taking Care of Yourself VI Meditation & Guided Imagery VII Patient Advocate VIII Hospice Care IX Planning for the End of Life X How to Say "You are dying." XI When Death is Near XII After Death XIII Patients' Rights XIV End of Life Resources Page This page was last edited on 04/18/2008 The resources used in developing the information in the Transitions Center are listed on the Resources Page.