Paul Kalanithi, writer and neurosurgeon, dies at 37
Paul was a close friend of mine, and we worked together on his research during his neurosurgery residency at Stanford. He was a hell of a human being, brilliant, dedicated, creative, refreshingly optimistic, and selfless. Before he was diagnosed, I'd planned to postdoc with him when he was considering starting a functional neurosurgery lab (actively manipulating the nervous system to achieve therapeutic benefit, with deep brain stimulation being the most successful example).<p>This piece he wrote shortly before he died is well worth your time. 
<a href="http://stanmed.stanford.edu/2015spring/before-i-go.html" rel="nofollow">http://stanmed.stanford.edu/2015spring/before-i-go.html</a>