Written by Mackenzie Manley, Content Specialist, Downtown Main Library
Chris Dennis Myers, youth librarian at the Wyoming Branch Library, flips through dozens of family photos, including one of her late father enjoying a bowl of four-way Skyline chili, family portraits of her dad and three siblings, and warm candids of '90s childhood memories.
Next to the photos is a paperback copy of Being Mortal by Atul Gawande, the 2026 Mary S. Stern Lecturer. An acclaimed surgeon and public health leader, Dr. Gawande's sold-out lecture will explore how medicine, families, and communities can better support quality of life while enduring our loved ones' most vulnerable moments.
"I don't think Being Mortal is necessarily a book that someone in their early 30s would seek out, but I picked it up because my dad was diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's Disease, in April of 2018," said Chris. "There's not really great words for what getting that news is like. It is earth shattering. It is world ending. It is soul crushing."
According to the Cleveland Clinic, the average lifespan of ALS patients after diagnosis is three to five years. A former math professor, Chris’s dad wanted to work as long as he could. A year after his diagnosis, Chris and her husband moved him from Florida to Cincinnati, where she became his primary caregiver.
She picked up Being Mortal in the thick of trying to understand how to best care for her father. When she heard that Dr. Gawande was this year's Stern lecturer, Chris says she was elated.
"And then I looked at the date," said Chris. "I am expecting a child not long before, so I'm actually going to have to miss it. But I do think it's a really good opportunity for people to start to think about all of the questions of aging and dying."
Chris's father was only 64 years old when he died.
"When you start to think about that earlier, and face the core reality of our lives, which is that they are going to end, you can really think about what does give your days meaning," said Chris. "You can make sure that you bring meaning into the day to day, the moment to moment."
Chris Myer’s Family Photos 01Chris’s dad enjoying a bowl of Skyline Chili.
Chris Myer’s Family Photos 11Chris (right) with her father while she was his caregiver.
Chris Myer’s Family Photos 09Chris’s father posing on the couch with his kids.
Chris Myer’s Family Photos 04Chris’s father reading the newspaper.
Chris Myer’s Family Photos 03A family photograph provided by Chris Myers of her father.
Chris Myer’s Family Photos 12Chris (right) with her father.
Stern Lecture-Related Events
Leading up to Dr. Gawande's appearance, Library customers can attend related events at Library locations across Hamilton County. Along with book club discussion groups for Being Mortal, CHPL is hosting several events exploring goal-centered hospice care, end-of-life caregiving, and caregiver stress management.
As the person who acted as a primary caregiver, Chris said Gawande's book helped her ensure that her dad's end-of-life was exactly what he would have wanted it to be: seeing old friends and family, eating a good meal (namely Skyline Chili), and spending time with the people he loved the most.
"Obviously, he wouldn't have wanted to have ALS, but if you're going to have ALS, we want to make sure those years after diagnosis are as beautiful and meaningful as possible," said Chris. "That wouldn't really have been something we could have done if we were ignoring the reality of it or not having conversations about what gives his life meaning."
Now, Chris is re-reading the book. She said it's hard to believe she read Being Mortal at such a sensitive time in her life, citing that the novel doesn't shy away from the truth of mortality.
"To read it now, as I am building life in the opposite direction, is surreal," said Chris.
The Mary S. Stern Lecture Series is made possible through an endowment to The Library Foundation.
Add a comment to: How ‘Being Mortal’ Guided a Librarian’s Caregiving Journey