Op-Comic: My patients wrestle with end-of-life care, even if there’s a living will
![Illustration of a woman sitting on the edge of a living will](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d314cc1/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3000x2000+0+0/resize/1200x800!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa2%2Fce%2F7703faa6456b8b3a7144e5689f54%2Fla-oe-gray-directives-header.jpg)
(Nathan Gray / For The Times)
Gray is an assistant professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and an artist who draws comics on medical topics. @NathanAGray
![Illustration of an eye with tears falling and another illustration of a sick woman wearing a mask](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/6955df1/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1071x1500+0+0/resize/1200x1681!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffd%2F44%2F99173ea843abaaf9832dcbf28ec2%2Fla-oe-gray-directives-online-1.jpg)
![Illustration of a family member comforting a patient with a mask with a living will in the background](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/16f74e6/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1071x1500+0+0/resize/1200x1681!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F82%2Ff1%2Fd0b0b7bd43a4a6f95e8ef7fa568a%2Fla-oe-gray-directives-online-2.jpg)
![Slightly abstract illustration of a group of people looking up and papers with writing on them falling](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/e1a8d13/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1071x1500+0+0/resize/1200x1681!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Feb%2F91%2Fbecf4a8846c4916e97c8712b650a%2Fla-oe-gray-directives-online-3.jpg)
![Illustration of a mother flanked by two children](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/4cdfb18/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1071x1500+0+0/resize/1200x1681!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F01%2Fb2%2F77fc47f84493a69b40aea7d2a162%2Fla-oe-gray-directives-online-4.jpg)
![Illustration of a doctor in a car with a patient driving on a road from home to hospital and beyond](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/6334b3c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1071x1500+0+0/resize/1200x1681!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc5%2F50%2F79305fdd45c8abfea33af59a64e6%2Fla-oe-gray-directives-online-5.jpg)
![Illustration of a woman looking at headstones that are cellphones](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a74f554/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1071x1500+0+0/resize/1200x1681!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F5f%2Fa9%2Fc6d660594ba893e601a59c744e06%2Fla-oe-gray-directives-online-6.jpg)
![Illustration of a book cover, a cup that says "death cafe" on it and a house](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/48b1110/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1071x1500+0+0/resize/1200x1681!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F56%2F1e%2F6fbd51e14782911a41a1de9d6b2d%2Fla-oe-gray-directives-online-7.jpg)
![Illustration of Gautama Buddha](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/778690c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1071x1500+0+0/resize/1200x1681!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F09%2F33%2Fd7825f0543d782b44e1bde79ef94%2Fla-oe-gray-directives-online-8.jpg)
![Ilustration shows a patient being loaded into a van; the van going down a road; and a house](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/fc7714e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1071x1500+0+0/resize/1200x1681!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F6b%2Ffd%2Fd2f58f14440ba9cb2322bff44f03%2Fla-oe-gray-directives-online-9.jpg)
![Illustration of a person's hand holding a skull](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/e483257/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1071x1500+0+0/resize/1200x1681!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fe4%2Fd4%2Ffa31918a487081f0ffbb2a796761%2Fla-oe-gray-directives-online-10.jpg)
(Nathan Gray / For The Times)
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