AustLit

Author's note: 'Surging interest in the topic of death and dying has been attributed to the rising median age of the baby boomers, now confronting mortality as they head into their sixties (Wyndham 2008). As storytelling animals, humans have a natural tendency to find narratives of lived experience an appealing way to make sense of complex phenomena (Polkinghorne 1988). However, striking a balance between the interpretive authority of the writer and the ethical treatment of the subject can be problematic when 'using lives' to craft creative nonfiction, particularly when sensitive emotional territory is being negotiated.'