When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

Despite the long hours and the heavy responsibilities, Paul Kalanithi loved being a neurosurgeon. Just as he was about to complete his residency training, he began experiencing excrutiating back pain and other symptoms and tests showed he had stage IV lung cancer. The man who had helped so many patients face the prospect of dying was now on the road to dying himself. Since he had always loved literature and writing, he decided to put his thoughts on the experience down on paper and When Breath Becomes Air is the result. It's a beautifully written book that shows you have to appreciate every moment you have--and know when it's time to let go.

Though his much-loved wife and baby daughter suffered the greatest loss, Kalanithi's death also took from the world a dedicated neurosurgeon/neuroresearcher whose work might have saved countless lives.