After Husband’s Early Death, Journalist Works To Prepare Others

Journalist Randi Belisomo’s husband was diagnosed with cancer after they had been married just under three years.
Journalist Randi Belisomo's husband was diagnosed with cancer after they had been married just under three years. Courtesy of Randi Belisomo
Journalist Randi Belisomo’s husband was diagnosed with cancer after they had been married just under three years.
Journalist Randi Belisomo's husband was diagnosed with cancer after they had been married just under three years. Courtesy of Randi Belisomo

After Husband’s Early Death, Journalist Works To Prepare Others

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When journalist Randi Belisomo was thrown into the role of caregiver for her husband, former WBEZ and CLTV reporter Carlos Hernandez Gomez, she learned neither of them were prepared to have end of life conversations. Hernandez Gomez had been diagnosed with colon cancer, and they talked about treatments and how he felt, but they never actually talked about him dying.

Belisomo used that experience to make sure others weren’t caught off guard while watching their loved ones die. She teamed up with Hernandez Gomez’s oncologist, Dr. Mary Mulcahy, and founded Life Matters Media. They teach the terms around end of life planning, walk through what is and is not required by law in decision-making, and help people who are just too afraid to talk about death at all. 

On Tuesday, Belisomo and Mulcahy defined the terms and answered your questions on preparing loved ones for the final days.