I’ll Fly Away by Marc Sapir

A compassionate combination of end-of-life storytelling and medical reporting, I’ll Fly Away: Stories About Amazing Disabled Elders by Marc Sapir is an affirming collection of stories and essays centered on the myriad experiences of disabled seniors.

The author’s firsthand relationship with these patients as a Medical Director at the Center for Elders’ Independence in Oakland, California provides an uncut glimpse into the responsibilities, challenges, and rewards of caring for the elderly and infirm, as he simultaneously participated in and gathered these touching reflections from a unique population too often overlooked or hidden away. From hard-fought victories over illness and the slowly progressing tragedy of memory loss to timeless ethical dilemmas and the toll of endless empathy on caregivers, these meticulously told tales are powerful portraits of life and death.

The detailed exposition about the patients’ conditions can occasionally read like a medical case study, but the bulk of the narrative is defined by tenderness, thoughtfulness, and positivity. Expertly dissecting one of the most triggering and troubling subjects we face in life, this collection is a marvelous pairing of contradictions – blunt and sensitive, astute and ethereal, cynical and hopeful, pragmatic and deeply emotional.

With unwavering attention to social justice, elder rights, and community medicine, Sapir’s unguarded writing blooms with moments of personal revelation, intense humanity, philosophical curiosity, and existential clarity.