Chasing Daylight:How My Forthcoming Death Transformed My Life

"Not everyone, in fact, only few people can be as lucky as Mr. Jobs, who was diagnosed of fatal cancer in the morning but later it turned out be a rare form which can be cured by surgery in the evening. It is always tough to be told that your days are numbered, but great lives always can be fulfilled if you don't give up no matter what, Mr. Jobs delivered that famous Stanford commencement speech which considered to be prepared for his would-be farewell speech, Randy Pausch's last lecture becomes the national bestseller, Eugene O'Kelly, then CEO of KPMG, does the same in this little book, chasing daylight.

After reading so many book about death and love, I'm convinced that death is definitely the "best single invention that could ever be created, It clears out the old to make way for the new", and O'Kelly tells you how death transformed his life from creating more money into creating more perfect moment with his family and his friends. As a man with deep religious belief, he shows his wish that he can reunite with his loved ones after death. His last 100 days is filled with love and encouragement.

It is hardly possible to be exceptional when you are about to die in months, but as countless people have shown us, everybody can, at least, be a perfect tale of grace."
~ Written on 2008-08-04

"This book defers from other similar memoirs mainly in terms of its lack of sentimentality. It is not completely cold but the way that the author describes the process he goes through, makes you understand why he had such success career wise. He had a smooth methodological way of approaching things that enabled him to probably more quickly come to terms with his condition and deal with the matters at hand.

Who would I recommend this book to?

I would recommend this book to anyone who is dealing with death. As I went through the book I was constantly reminded of the time I had to deal with a close friend's passing. Up to 6 months before, I probably had an inkling that she was going away soon but I refused to face it. This book in a sense shows a way of dealing with death that is beautiful.
"
~ Written on 2008-05-30

"How often we take for granted those in our lives... or more simply, that there will even be a tomorrow. This book is a reality check on our own mortality. I personally was captivated, enlightened, and saddened all at the same time and fortunately I walked away with at least two gems that will serve me well for the rest of my days... and hopefully, that's a lot of days!"
~ Written on 2008-05-30

"This is the personal story of the author, CEO of one of the Big 3 accounting firms, one of the "relevant" people in our society, who was diagnosed as terminal with less than 6 months to live. The book covers his last few months and what he did to prepare for death, both spiritually and physically, with the last chapter written by his wife. The refreshing part of this book is that Eugene O'Kelly is such an unlikely candidate, even from his own perspective, for the spiritual journey he takes in his remaining time on the planet. No more living in the future; the future is now. He finds being in the present moment even harder than running a major corporation. His transformation leads him to learn to "let go", be in the present moment, and value the consciousness of his soul above his job and ego. He learned more in three months than most people learn in a lifetime. He viewed his terminal diagnosis as a "gift". His "gift" to us is this book."
~ Written on 2008-05-26

"Eugene O'Kelly, 53, is the CEO of the KPMG. At the height of his professional career he is diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer and has 3 months to live. O'Kelly wrote a "clinical" book about how he chose to prepare to die and shares his experience of dying. There is very little grief and rage in this book - you don't read "why me?" passages here. On the other hand, you don't get in the mind of O'Kelly or his family as to his deteriorating physical or mental condition and the challenges this presented. O'Kelly takes a "cool" accountant's approach of dealing with death including closing out his relationship ledger with 1000 of his friends and acquaintances.

One of the key messages in this book is the old adage of "living every moment as if it were your last." Here's one of the memorable passages from the book: "we were all able to focus on the here and now - the staggering natural beauty around us, the amazing things. I wanted to enjoy each meal, each walk, each talk - not the future that loomed over everything, a future in which I played no physical part."

And another passage from O'Kelly's wife Corrine:

"when you're living your everyday life with no sword (death) dangling over you, it's easy to get lost in your own orbit, as does everyone else. When you're living an extraordinary life, however, the way we all were for that incredibly long, incredible brief season from late May through early September, you come to understand awe. You come to understand strength, commitment, love, and most important, life in a way that humbles you. It was the last thing he could do for us. In plotting out his last days the way he did, he made a dreadful experience as positive as it could be for his daughters, his wife, our family, our friends, his firm."

Gene & Corrine O'Kelly's shared lessons in life (and death) are as follows:

1)Face Reality (see the big picture)
2)Simplify (acceptance: consider all aspects of your experience)
3)Live the moment (it centers you)
4)Recognize perfection (notice where you are in any given moment)
5)Achieving balance (ability to be centered wherever you are)

This book is the wake-up call for a high flying business people who reach the mountain top of their professional at the expense of more important things in life.
"
~ Written on 2008-03-29