A write-up for my Doctoring class, I completed an Advanced Directive with David:

I completed the exercise with my 27 year-old husband, who has not given much thought to end-of-life issues at all. He answered "I'm not sure" to several of the questions because they placed him in situations he had not yet imagined he could be in, such as questions about dialysis. He was familiar with mechanical ventilation however because his grandmother was placed on one before she died. Coincidentally, the website showed a video of a gaunt, elderly Caucasion woman on a mechanical ventilator, who very closely resembled his grandmother on her last days. This vivid image struck such emotion within him that he passionately answered all questions about mechanical ventilation as "unbearable." This exercise is a very valuable experience for any couple to complete, but having been formally educated about its importance, I feel especially relieved that I've finally completed it with my husband. He appreciated the necessity of the advanced directive, though the seriousness of the topic did noticeably weigh him down. However, when we were provided the print-out that just had to be notarized, we felt very accomplished for officially completing such an important task. 

One of the interesting subjects we differed on was our wishes for our bodies after we die. Having gone through anatomy lab and organizing the Body Donor Memorial Service, I am certain that I want to donate my body for education, transplant, or research. My husband was not so sure. I can definitely understand people's attachment to their physical bodies, even post-mortem. Imagining my cadaver being dissected on does not feel pleasant. Also, the idea of not being in an urn or a burial site might make one feel that their existence in the world will be forgotten

I do believe that it is the physician's duty to encourage their patients to communicate their end-of-life wishes to family members. Many families just simply do not address end-of-life issues. Doctors are educators, and patients and their families need to be educated about the complicated issues that arise when someone becomes really ill. Like my husband, many families just do not imagine themselves in such circumstances, and thus aren't prepared for them. Doctors would be providing good care if they help prepare families for these potential situations.