I thought they were inspiring. Live your life, people.

Amazing

I think Mimi must have clicked on the wrong link. . .like, say, "Mastheads." I too would be distressed if I thought Dooce's mastheads had left us for the plane of higher consciousness.

That site is mesmerizing and fascinating.

haunting. and maybe nauseating. but so? what did someone clicking on a link to pictures described as "somber series of portraits taken of people before and after they had died" expect? kids on a playground?

anyway. haunting. but not in a bad way.

I thought they were going to be disturbing, but they actually were peaceful. You almost never see death represented like that. Its either fictionalized or brushed under the carpet (like no longer allowing pictures of the coffins of soldiers who die in Iraq). I doubt I'd have ever come across these on my own, so thanks.

Couldn't bring myself to look. My wife and I had the honor of caring for my Mother in her last months. I am a chicken shit.

Mimi needs to learn how to not click the next button...that way she wouldn't have been nauseated...and I actually found the images of the people after death were less horrifying than I assumed they would be. Kudos Dooce!

Chicken shit would be me, actually. Based on Heather's description, I know better than to even click that link.

(Gosh - imagine what the internet would be like if people actually thought before following links, and then took responsibility for their own reactions? The mind positively boggles.)

I think this is your blog and you have every right to do whatever you want - as do the people who view it.

I think these photos are absolutely beautiful and breathtaking. What an amazing project and how amazing were those that agreed to take part in it. I think their families have something very poignant and beautiful to hold on to.

p.s. my captcha is Stern cheese. That's my least favorite kind.

I have never been one to handle death well, but these people shared their stories and I got the impression that they were at peace after the hardest and last fights of their lives.

As squeamish as I am, I clicked on the link and found that it was indeed very haunting and yet, very peaceful. Much better to see death in a dignified manner than splashed across the news with blood and destruction. You plainly stated that it was pics before and after death, so I'm afraid it's up to your readers to make their own decision.
P.S. Well said, Eric.

I'm not sure why, but I honestly didn't expect the death portraits to be as beautiful as they are. I suppose that says much about my conception of death and the afterlife. And now I'm wondering if that conception has changed, ever so slightly, after seeing these photographs.

I'm glad you posted it. I was moved by every story - some made me giggle, some made me sadder than others, and I had the same reaction - gonna go take pictures of the daffodils in the garden.

People don't have to click on things just because they're there! Esp after reading the description. WTF?

Powerful and moving... the photos made me appreciate being alive. Thanks, Heather.

Why would anyone think they are nauseating? I thought they were beautiful. You don't see death in that point-of-view very often.

They were hard to look at since I'm taking care of 2 terminal people right now but I can look past that.

Seriously? Is Mimi from Oakland English-challenged? It says right there "Portraits before and after death."

Personally, I only clicked through a couple, not because they were grotesque or exploitive, but having lost someone very close last year after a too-long and painful struggle with bladder cancer, they were just this side of too painful right now.

How beautiful. Thank you for sharing this.

i've never seen a dead person (though i've been touched by death many times) and i was a bit afraid to look, but i'm so glad i did. these were beautiful and so much more peaceful than i expected.

The text describing the subjects of the photos shows that those who are not happy/satisfied/fulfilled by the way they lived their lives will not be peace when those lives are over. I hope that lesson is apparent, even when the photos themselves are disturbing.

memento mori.

i lost my sister at 24 this past fall. it's inspiring to see what these people are thinking in the process leading up to their imminent deaths. a vision of strength in each of them, the photographs are riveting. but i was oddly jealous, they had the time leading up to to verbalize and reflect. she was plucked out of the night by a man backing up a one way street.

wow. the photos were beautiful. evocative.
thank you for sharing them.

I thougt it was awesome for you to bring this very moving work to our attention.

Thank you very much.

Incredibly touching and poignant. It was calming to read the stories of those who had accepted their imminent death, but heart-wrenching to read the stories of those who were terrified of it or felt cheated by it.

I've always believed in living your life the way you dream of living it, every single day. Life is too unpredictable to save all the best stuff for retirement. I'm fortunate that my husband feels the same, because we don't put off good things if we can afford not to.

No. 8, I totally agree with you. I kept hoping they wouldn't be dead in the next picture.

I, too, was surprised by how peaceful they were. They simply looked like they were sleeping. The woman who felt rejected by life almost made me stop, though. I hope someone hugged her before she died.

I feel compelled to comment, even though at this moment, I'm not sure I can put into words what I'm feeling.

As I went through the pictures, I couldn't help but cry. It's been barely a year since I lost my mother to cancer. I've been lost in my grief for so long that I often forget that at least now, my mom who had been through so much in her life, is finally at peace and without pain.

Frankly, the after death photos were so incredibly beautiful in their peace and tranquility that I simply can't fathom someone becoming nauseated viewing them.

Thank you for sharing.

Those photos were beautiful and poignant. Absolutely nothing nauseating about it. and it's not like you said CLICK HERE everybody and didn't elaborate.. what did Mimi want?- a pop-up flash page saying "warning....warning..."

thanks for the link

I think that the project is beautiful, and really gives some perspective. Thanks for sharing the link, Heather.

I thought the photos were amazing. A little disturbing? Yes. Beautiful? Very. Could I finish looking at the whole set? No.

They definitely made me cry. After I had a baby, the only thing I want to do anymore is live forever so I can be with him. My own mortality has snuck up on me lately. I guess.

These images made me very sorrowful, but not in a bad way. They made me uncomfortable, but they're meant to. I think. They made me question the fact that I get so annoyed by such little things.

They made me want to help the elderly.

Also, I do hope that one gent is still somehow getting the football (soccer) scores wherever he may be.

And I'm glad the woman who held such anger toward her ex finally got rid of it and hopefully died peacefully.

If anything, these pictures should show us to get out and do something today, say sorry to someone, not get so worked up, feel OK with things.

I'm sad today. hahahaha

I thought they all looked at peace. I've been with family as they died and I think these portraits are a lovely testament to living and enjoying the time we each have left on earth.

So very beautifully touching. Thank you for sharing this link.

It's a reminder, to me at least, of just how insignificant we are. Don't sweat the small stuff. Be a nice person. Get off your high horse. And all that. Thanks for posting.

Amazing images, both of life and of death. I found it fascinating, the similarities between the way people live, and the way they die. It seems those that were positive in life had an easier time accepting their fate.

I did not find this offensive at all. We would be a healthier society alltogether if we were more willing to embrace the inevitibility we all face. Death.

Well Done Heather.

Mayhaps Mimi thought the photos would be grotesque in some fashion and felt cheated?

Nauseating is the sound the body makes on the table when the embalming machine is run too long. I use to work as an obit writer and Funeral Home directors were in the habit of calling me while multi-tasking.

These images are striking and incredibly moving.

That was amazing, I'm so glad I looked at it. Thank you for posting it.

I loved these photos - thank you for posting them.

This was beautiful.

Things that make people uncomfortable are not always bad.

Death is a reality we all have to face one day. It's nice to be reminded that we are merely a blip in time; beautiful uniquely blips, but blips just the same.

It puts things in perspective; for me at least.

Thank you. These were incredibly moving, and a real counterpoint to the petty annoyances of my morning. What an honor, really, to have such an intimate glimpse of these people.

Creepy. Sad. Real. Insane. Comforting. Odd. All these emotions, yet I am glad I checked it out.

Thank you for posting this.

they were beautiful and true...just like life and death. thank you for the link.
peace!

Not an ounce in my body made me feel nauseated at the sight of these photos. On the contrary, I felt that in many ways the photographer captured the beauty in these people that even death could not steal away from them. I felt moved by the series, moved by the fragility of life, and to me, that makes it a worthwhile piece.

I think the pictures were beautiful, and more disturbing than the photos were some of the stories. I wish the people in the photos could have seen how powerfully their images would be used. I also agree with Crystal, and hope everyone got a hug before they left.

I think anyone who used the comments to berate Mimi for what was a shocked reaction (appropriate or not) is missing the point entirely. A group of people open-minded enough to appreciate death portraits somehow cannot stop from responding to an email that wasn't even sent to them... I don't want to believe comments were opened for that purpose.

I really like the pictures. I think the idea is very creative. It's interesting to see the expression, or lack of, on their face when they're alive and to see it change when they're dead. Thanks for sharing!

Primarily, I think that Mimi's comments aren't really about you or your link. Her reaction is a reflection on how comfortable she is with the idea of death and maybe, possibly her own mortality. Death is scary stuff to lots of people for all sorts of reasons: the indignity of it, the loss of control, the feeling like you're leaving behind more regrets then things you can look back and on and say 'yes that was wonderful'. I'm in forensics so I have a lot of contact with death, dying and the individual. Provocative explorations about cultural perceptions and reflections on dying tends to open a rift within people's own selves. It forces them to inventory their lives and their current "preparedness" for the inevitable and I think, more often then not, a lot of people just feel afraid and they react as such.

These portraits are beautiful. People are so afraid of death, so unwilling to look at it and examine it. It's part of life - a beautiful part of life, really. One hopes that it comes at the end of a meaningful life that was well lived. It doesn't always, but it is always meaningful. I think that we don't look at death enough. We turn away from it, which is a disservice to those who are dying and to ourselves.

I found myself crying as I read the captions of these photographs. They are beautiful and touching.

Photographs of the dead were a common happenstance in the early 19th century. The Wisconsin Death Trip book is a great example of this phenomenon. http://www.amazon.com/Wisconsin-Death-Trip-Michael-Lesy/dp/0826321933

It's amazing to me the commentary from the people who died. The range of emotions as humans reach the end of their mortal lives.

Death is a natural occurrence of nature, whether it be a day for a mayfly or 85 years for a human. The pictures were haunting, but they also were beautiful. I felt that each was done is such a dignified way - to honor a person who might not have gotten the recognition in any other way or form in their lives.

I thought they were chillingly beautiful...although they were somewhat haunting to look at, it was an eerie yet incredible reminder of what every single one of us (even the chicken shits) will experience at some point.

Not everything on the internet must contain hilarious pictures of cats with poor grammar to be considered great.

(although it must be said I do enjoy my fair share of lolcats)

I don't get how these were nauseating to Mimi...I found them to be lovely and thought-provoking. I was interested to see how many of them were peaceful about their death, I hope I am that serene when my time comes.

#38 (Nikki) - your friend is clearly an angel on earth. What a wonderful way to think about birth and death. Her patients are lucky to have her.

Heather, one of the things I love about your blog is how one day you'll have me cracking up out loud in the middle of the library, and the next day you'll share with us something so touching and poignant that I'm crying at the end. Whether it's a story about Chuck stepping in his own poop, your sweet monthly newsletters to Leta, or a visual meditation on life and death, your blog is my special daily escape from my usual stress and responsibilities.

You are NOT chicken shit. You are generous, soulful and fucking hilarious.

And thank you for posting that link. It was lovely and sad.

Heavy stuff... makes me think that I better start living instead of just existing

The photographs are not disturbing, they're beautiful and they've reminded me that no matter how difficult life can be at times, at the end of the road all we want is a little more time.

Beautiful link. Thank you for sharing. I was more interested in the stories than the pictures to be honest. They were much more touching.

I didn't click the link so I have no opinion on the photos, but I do have an opinion on Mimi in Oakland. I think Mimi doesn't take the time to read through a post before she clicks a link all willy-nilly. If Mimi had *read* the post, she might have deduced that the link might be a little graphic.

But that's just my opinion.

While I agree with the many who commented that you made it absolutely clear what the photos were and so Mimi's email blast points towards her failing...I AM glad that comments were opened because I would not have looked at the photos had I not read all of the comments.

I would not have looked out of a kind of fear...being in a difficult circumstance in my life, I thought I didn't need to see "death". However, I ultimately did look and while haunting and wishing that things could turn out differently for all of them, there is also that beauty in the stories, in the "process" - I don't even have the words right now, but I AM glad I looked and I'm grateful for the post and the comments that "helped" me take the step to look.

Inspired.

I was sitting here finishing up some work and looking around my house at the sink of dishes waiting to be washed..
the pile of laundry waiting to be folded.....
all the discarded toys waiting to be placed back neatly in their baskets and on the book shelf...
all the "work" that needs to be done.....endless.

But now I'm packing up my 2 year old -- who came in carrying her snow white princess dress calling for disneyland -- and we're heading off to the magic kingdom!

I'm sure, given the choice, each of those precious sould would have chosen one more day of magic with mickey over a day of dishes.

Thanks, Heather. You rock!

nikki (comment 38)...that was beautiful and made me feel like i was going to cry. i feel like i want to write that down to remember as words of comfort for the future. thank you.

Thank you for linking to these photographs. They are powerful and thought provoking. Part of me is sadden by the passing of these strangers and yet part of me is gladden by their stories. My Aunt passed away one year ago and while she was sorry she didn't get a "couple of more years," she was contented that she got to die where she wanted to (at home) and how she wanted to. Damn, I miss her.

I found these pics touching, how most of them were at peace with their passing after battling illnesses.

Don't listen to all those people pissing you off - I've read your blog for years now and loved every minute of it. I could read about your Leta and Chuckles every day. I have a 3 year old and she mirrors Leta so I enjoy your posts about your frustrations. Makes me know that I am not alone in this job of motherhood.

Talk about chicken shit - it sounds like someone else is a little uncomfortable with the idea of death....how lame for her to send that comment...because after all everything you write and post should bear some stamp of approval from THEM right? NOT! (what do people think? hello, freedom of speech and expression people) I found the photo's beautiful and peaceful. Being that I've buried 4 immediate family members over the last 6 years and been there every (or most) steps of the damn way I actually found the photo montage comforting and almost sweet.

You know…now that I think about it – she’s probably just jealous that these people look better dead than she’ll ever look (or sound) alive….people have nerve.

Mimi obviously has issues- mortality or literacy, I'm not sure, but issues.

I thought the pictures were stunning- beautiful, calming, the truth we'll all face someday.

What would possess anyone to blame you when they clearly clicked on a well-described link themselves? Some people really need a lesson in responsibility. Personally, I found the photos to be incredibly beautiful. Because of this beautiful work, they will live on. I was amazed how young many of the subjects were. Scary.

I expected to be more creeped out, and not to be able to get all the way through. Surprisingly, I found them facinating. The stories were sad, but the images were very powerful.

Dealing with death can be a very difficult struggle, yet it is a part of our lives. I found the series intriguing

I have been a Medical Social Worker for 12 years. For 8 years I worked in long-term care and for a year I worked in hospice. These pictures were a reminder of how blessed I have been to be present in the lives of some amazing people and how honored I have been to be a part of their death.

Thank you.

I will be standing in the sunshine next to you.

This is why i love the internet. I would have never found that site on my own. I feel enlightened. thank you for sharing.

Heartbreaking and beautiful. The sense of peace that emanates from the "after" photos is breathtaking. Thanks for sharing, Heather... I'm not sure I would've stumbled across them otherwise.

The one certainty in life is death; it's inevitable, we should embrace it. I work in an ICU and it's sad to see so many patients and family members that extend their suffering because they are afraid to let go. The sadness of death is equaled by its beauty. It's like reading the last page of a great novel...

I've seen far more graphic "death" on TV... what was there to be nauseated by?

By the way... My grandmother had tons of photos of various family members around the casket, before burial. Wake up Mimi this is nothing new.

its not like you didn't warn people about exactly what was in the pictures.

I thought the photos were amazing. What a great way to honor those who have passed on. Don't get me wrong, I have no interest in dying any time soon. When the time does come, I'm sure I'll be fearful but when you think about it death really is a passage, much like being born. There should be a way to find some kind of joy or honor in people's passing. I think the photos do that in a way.

I thought the pictures conveyed a sense of peace and dignity. In the end, that is all that we can hope for.

To Mimi - sorry that you were disturbed, but you were WAY out of line in calling Heather names. Get a grip.

I'm glad I looked at these. They are lovely, and terrible, and powerful in a way that only death can be. Thank you for showing this to us.

Thank you for sharing... it was beautiful in it's own right. I think it really points out how beautiful life is and how it needs to be cherished. People insulted by REALITY need a reality check for themselves.

Not disturbing at all. Why are people so uncomfortable with death? I'd never seen my grandma look so peaceful than at her open-casket funeral.

I personally thought they were beautiful like many others have said. They were not what I expected and most of them looked peaceful...

Thanks for sharing.

Sometimes it isn't bad to take 1/2 hour out of your day to think about the life lessons that become so apparent when facing death. These pictures weren't so much about death, but were about the lives of the people portrayed. They shared their stories and their thoughts with the world. This isn't meant to be disturbing or nauseating, I think that this is a beautiful celebration of the lives of these people. Their images are depicted very tastefully and professionally and this lets some of their last words of wisdom live on, even after their passing.

I love reading funny and happy stories every day, but again, this shows everyone that your site is about REAL life and unfortunately, death is a very large part of this real life. It would be beneficial to read these people's brief stories and take a few minutes to appreciate the life that we've been given.

Thank you for posting a site that I would definitely not have found on my own. It forced me out of my comfort zone, but I was riveted until I made it though the entire piece.

Amazing photographs. Thank you for finding the site and posting it. Mimi has no clue and obviously should not have viewed the site. The photos and the stories of the people are actually very inspiring. They make me realize how lucky I am to be alive and have friends and family that love me!

I think they're beautiful pictures. You described the link very accurately, so people who aren't comfortable looking at the pictures of the deceased shouldn't click on the link- it's that simple.

Working in long-term care, I've had the opportunity be around deceased residents on several occasions. Before experiencing it, I thought being alone in a room with a dead body would be a nightmare, but it isn't frightening at all if it's a person who died of natural causes. I was grateful to have a moment to pay my respects privately.

haunting and beautiful all at once and a reminder to get out there and live life now

thanks Heather

Wow Heather thank you so much for putting these up. I think seeing these pictures were the kick in the arse that I needed to re-arrange a few things in my life.

I'm a hospice nurse by way of the ICU, so I've seen my fair share of death in person...trust me when I say that while it is a very moving, individual, and even intimate experience to witness someone dying, "nauseating" is not a word that pops to mind.

These pictures are beautiful and reminded me of my special patients/friends. Thank you!!

I watched my father die of cancer almost two years ago. He was only 68 years old and he went very quickly. Within nine months of being diagnosed with bladder cancer, he was gone. He didn't want to die and fought it until the very last week of his life. It was painful to watch the strongest man I ever knew cry and look at me like he was begging to live. When he died he looked like he was 80 years old. I thought I wouldn't want to see him in his casket. I did not want to remember him that way but it was a comfort. I looked at the body in that casket and knew it was no longer my father. It was a confirmation of my faith. Our body is a vessel for our spirit and nothing confirms it more than to see the utter transformation of the human body from life to death. These images did not disturb me in any way, in fact, they again reaffirm my spiritual beliefs.

How can you deal with these nutty demanding people every day? I give you alot of credit.

You said what they where about. Geez. Don't you just want to fill their inbox with spam and poop?

I opened the link and saw exactly what I expected. death. Great link by the way.

Now........

Do Work !

I don't get it. The only thing as natural as life is death. I don't see what is so controversial about these photos. And to be nauseated by them; grow up.

The pictures are beautiful. The distance between life and death can be as little as the difference between two clicks of a camera shutter.

Get out there and do something before you hear the second click.

I feel bad saying I 'enjoyed' looking at pictures and reading about people who were sick and who died, but I really loved that you posted the link for it and I'm so glad I looked at it. I thought it was so interesting... more the interview part than the pictures, actually. Alot of them seemed so sad and so empty and really just mad about dying. I find that extremely interesting... something so many could learn from.
I just can't imagine having that feeling - the empty or the questioning... I feel sad for them

Very interesting, Heather. Thanks for sharing.

I like to cook; caring for others by preparing a meal to nourish their bodies means a lot to me. It really irritates me when someone can't bear to look at raw meat, but has no problem eating a hamburger. Become a vegetarian; I promise I won't make too much fun of you...

Mimi's e-mail pissed me off. She was specifically told what they were and STILL looked at them anyway. If a person cannot look at something natural like death, she probably doesn't deserve the blessing of life.

I think Mimi is terrified of death and needs a hug.

The woman who felt rejected by life itself, so painful. I hope death has given her something she needed while in this life.

Thanks for opening comments on this one.
If someone is nauseated by death, I feel they not only fear death, but living also. It's sad when someone can't/won't face the inevitable reality that we all die. I am happy to see that so many had a peaceful look on their faces. I saw that peace come over my father's face the day he died. It was very comforting.
Thanks for posting the link.

They all look so peaceful...

I have tears in my eyes, because that was so beautiful! And haunting.

I think it was really tastefully done, and it's not as if you tricked anyone into going to see disturbing photos of gruesome deaths.

But I could see it being troublesome for someone who has cancer (or who loves someone who has cancer). I did have a moment of picturing my Mom (I can't even say it) and it troubled me greatly (still does).

It never fails to surprise me the way people take ownership of you and your website. It's good they feel so invested, but it's your perogative to open comments when you feel like it. The end.

Anyway, thanks for the link.

i felt... bothered. though i think the idea can be poetically beautiful, sure, i still felt odd and undeserving of seeing the deceased that i didn't personally know. if that makes sense?

In January 2006 my 34 year old cousin was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. In June 2006 she died. I wrote my masters thesis on the subject of death and grief that same year because the experience had such a profound effect on me. Part of Mimi's "problem" is simply societal - Americans are less comfortable with death and dying than people in other countries, other cultures. When people die here they are whisked off and prepared by other people and then they reappear in a funeral home or church. Death and dying are taboo and they make people uncomfortable. When I looked at those pictures I saw my cousin's face in every one of them. Thanks for posting them Heather.

I took pictures of my cousin (at her mother's request) in the hours after she had passed away. I haven't seen them but I think maybe now I want to.

I thought these were lovely. I know these particular photos were chosen to tell a story, but it was amazing to me that some of the more anxious people alive look so at peace dead.

My own father lays dying as I type-and his dementia has stolen who it was we knew. The man that inhabits his body these days is someone none of us recognize-an angry destructive man my gentle and funny father would have hated.

I'm hoping death brings back the gentle man he was-if even only to his face. These photos bring me that hope.

Thank you for the link.

Powerful. Amazing. I was with my aunt when she died after a long fight with cancer. It was the most beautiful and heartbreaking experience of my life.

I thought they were very peaceful and I also thought the text accompanying the pictures was so insighful and touching. My dad has cancer and while it looks like it's treatable I often wonder what he really thinks about everything (I don't think he would ever really tell me). Reading about their diseases and the emotions that come with it was very powerful.

I'm with anonymous commenter number 6. We have no place for death in our culture. I appreciate bringing it to our conscious daily lives. Thank you for posting that link.

They made me uncomfortable, but it was a good kind of uncomfortable, I think. The reality of death is something that it's difficult to make my mind consider. I was riveted, but I don't think I'll revisit them.

Confidential to Mimi: comments on dooce.com are *usually* closed.

This photos made me cry and cry and cry. I sobbed until I had nothing left.

And now I feel better. Guess it's just what I needed today.

Thanks, Dooce.

Usually things that make me think of dying make me feel sick almost, but these portraits were really just ... beautiful. I cried when I read about some of the people even, but only because I thought their stories were sad.

I'm glad you opened comments, because I would like to say thanks for sharing.

Loved it and made me want to be a Hospice volunteer. The dying are the only ones that don't take life for granted!
P.S. Bo is adorable

I thought those images were amazing, and I marveled at how much more peaceful and even content those brave souls looked in the pictures taken after they passed.

Shame on YOU, Mimi, for pushing your neurotic phobias on Heather, and for challenging her to make them public so that you can annoy the rest of us as well...I volunteer photography services to an organization that offers bereavement photo sessions for families that suffer early infant loss. Should I tell those parents that they're sick and morbid for wanting photos of their precious babies, simply because they may have already passed? It's one of the most rewarding things I've ever done.

Do us a favor and remove your Dooce bookmark. We'll all be happier that way.

Seriously, some people will just complain about ANYTHING.
Get over it. If you dont like it, dont look at it. She cant please EVERYONE.

My Great Grandmother died at the age of 93 and we all comforted ourselves with the thought that she had lived a long and full life.

Until I discovered later that she had at one point grasped my Mom's hand in fear and almost sobbed "I don't want to die."

Those photos made me uncomfortable. But it's the kind of "uncomfortable" of having to shift perceptions you like keeping firmly in place. Not nauseating uncomfortable.

As a Mom the one that really hit me in the gut was the 44 year old woman that was too sad to leave her husband and children. So she chose to die alone.

The "after" photos were so peaceful. They actually had a calm to them.
Thanks for sharing!

I'm a nurse in an ICU so I wasn't particularly uncomfortable with the subject matter. What I think struck me most is that the oldest person featured -the last- was the most at peace with her fate. "one of the million, billion grains of sand in the desert." while, the younger subjects seemed to express regret over missed opportunities or the feeling of being robbed. I guess it really drives home the old saying "live every day as though it were your last"...although, sometimes I fear that is not entirely possible... It definitely moved me to tears.

I am a medical student and, thus, am forced to look at death all the time. However, I study it from a detached, analytical perspective, trying to learn from the dead to help the living.

These photos are gorgeous and reminded me of the innate beauty in both life and death. I am so glad to have seen them today and to have, in a small way, shared in the beauty of these brave people's lives.

Thanks for sharing, Dooce.

thank you for opening this post to comments. i only accidentally looked at the 1st person because you don't mention it is PEOPLE dying until after the link (and i still read and click FAST despite my lack of energy due to end-stage cancer...). so i figured i would see animal studies - since you are a known animal lover (at least dogs). Could you please note in the link it is people you are talking about? I am 48 years old and have a 17 year old daughter who also reads your column and im not sure i would want her seeing these studies at this time. they can be very upsetting to those of us who are in this position, and to our loved ones, but i think there is great strength and reason to link to such a project (that is, if the photographer had the subjects' permission to be photographed after death - i'm assuming he/she did since there were interviews done). My point is that the viewing should be optional. i chose to look at only the first two pictures as they brought up difficult feelings that i don't need right now. but i fully support this type of project - it helps to demystify death, i think - and fully support your right to link to to it.

thanks for your provocative columns and incredible writing.

These pictures were really moving. There is truly something wrong with our culture. We have all these TV shows and movies where people get shot and brutally tortured. Countless detective novels, even romance/thrillers, where people are horribly killed. But real death eludes us. It is so much more meaningful and even beautiful when presented this way, although it is a good reminder to read how much the people pictured long for more time. Kudos to them for, among other things, sharing their images and stories with us.

As I looked I felt like I was sneaking a peek at something I was going to get in trouble for looking at. I find that strange. I actually felt like I needed to close it (but couldn't) or else I was going to (for lack of a better way to put it) catch it? Death?

Translation: I was raised Catholic. Everything in life gives me guilt.

:)

Thanks for sharing!

There's something so beautiful and fragile about these photos - if nothing else, I think these maybe made me a little less afraid of death. Thanks for the link, Heather, this was something I really needed to see.

You wanna know what I think? I think girls named Mimi are bitches.

i thought the photos were simply amazing.

having experienced death so closely myself... hey mimi, try being 25 years old, standing in the morgue, confirming the identify of your died 24 year old husband. then we shall talk about nauseating...

i thought the photos were thought provoking and the captions invigorating. if we can not learn to live from those before us then we will never learn to live.

Those pictures and stories were beautiful. Death is sad, and its scary IMO because its so final - there is nothing more definite.

My dad died 5 years ago from pancreatic cancer. After he was sent home on hospice care, he joked with me and my sisters that he would wait until it was just me in the room and then take his last breath, knowing how terrified I'd always been of death and the deceased. On Feb 25th, 2003 he did just that. He waited until my sister left for class, my uncle was in the kitchen on the phone, and I was sitting holding his hand. And he took his last breath.

There is no greater gift to receive, than being allowed to witness someones passing, and eternal release from pain and torture.

Kudos to you Heather. Thank you for posting that link.

I have to say,.. I have been afraid of death since I was a little girl. I have done a lot of thinking on the subject and I'm not sure I'm much more comfortable with it now as an adult. I was almost afraid to click on it but I'm all about facing my fears. This site actually helped bring a sence of quiet and peace to my view of what death is.

I think that its your site,... you can post what you want. I just thank you for posting this.

BTW....

Am I the only one who thought this was going to be some terribly dark April Fools Day joke? I thought it'd be a link to a zombie website or something.

before I clicked, I was all 'Ohhhh, Heather...you're totally going to get some noise for this. There's gonna be a lot of people bitchin to you tonight!"

If Mimi is that sensitive to these types of images, then she had no business clicking a link titled "Portraits Before and After Death". What did she expect...cupcakes and puppies? As for condemning your decision to close the comments...erm, aren't they usually closed?

Onwards:
Moving. I had a lump in my throat throughout the read. Thanks for the link, Heather.

Haunting and evocative.

My mother only recently stopped carrying around in her purse the pictures taken of my grandmother immediately after she had died. Yaya (my grandmother) died of cancer of everything (literally), and my mother was unable to be with her (she lived in Australia). I was always distressed by the way she would look at them, fondly, usually whispering "look, she's only sleeping," but after seeing this series of portraits I'm beginning to understand.

Let's see...... she CHOSE to read your blog, and she CHOSE to click the link.....but it's all YOUR fault. I see. What scares me about people these days is that they take no responsibility for their OWN actions and always have someone ELSE to blame.

I loved the photos. We all die - and a humane look at it is comforting. Thanks, Dooce!

Those were amazing. Sad and haunting, yes, but also peaceful and respectful. Think before you click, Mimi.

I don't use this word very often, because it is a bit overused, but the first word that came to mind after viewing a few sets was 'poignant.'

thanks for sharing.

These photos are very evocotive and real.

Somewhere along the way someone said that if you are afraid of death it is because you are afraid of how you've lived your life and this is an idea I can get behind. Live your life like you mean it--like it's not just one big accident waiting to happen.

I think everyone responds to and deals with death in their own way. Last year my uncle died of lung cancer and my grandma was distraught. It was really difficult for my cousins to be both respectful of my uncles wishes and also honour my grandma as his mother. Grandma insisted on having a viewing of the body (and my cousins really did not think their dad would have wanted that). But it was important for her in her grief to have that closure, to see him finally at peace.

I didn't view the body. My memories are old and they are happy--and I wanted to keep remembering him that way.

Yes, the death can be so disturbing but the liveliness the day before death is almost shocking and gives an account how powerful living mind is. If anything, to me, these pictures are more about life than death.

Thanks for sharing. No doubt a very moving exhibit but I see how some people cannot deal with difficult subjects and become very aggressive as a result. The irony of that email is so blatant.

I thought the pictures were very interesting. Very sad and beautiful.
And you know what? It's real easy not to look at something if you think it is going to be too upseting.
Why she blames you is beyond me.
You didn't force her to look.

To me, the pictures are eerily beautiful.
Amazing how different, and how peaceful they look in the second picture.
Sad in some ways, yes, but hopeful too.

Nice to read many of them complimented the care they recieved from the staff.

I didn't read all the comments so I'm sure someone already said this, but she needs to get a grip. Take some responsibility for your own actions. Unless you were a moron, you knew what the link was going to be. It's not like it was on the home page. You chose to click on it, why are you complaining?

thank you for sharing these photos. my mother died of breast cancer. I miss her so much sometimes. seeing these pics reminded me of the peaceful look she had on her face when she passed. All of the fear, pain and anguish washed away. god bless hospice workers. True living angels. also reminds me to cherish the life I have now.

The price of admission

I thought they were beautiful. Death is a part of the life process, and I agree with one of the first posters who stated that those who are afraid of death aren't comfortable with the way they're living their life.

I had a bad day at work today, I always go to Dooce's site for a laugh because she very rarely posts negative things - and if she does, she makes humour out of it.

Looking at those photos made me realize that today is a day that I'm healthy, and living with my whole life ahead of me. They were sad and beautiful at the same time.

Thank you for posting it, Heather.

The comments here gave me the courage to actually follow the link and look at the pictures. They were, as everyone has already mentioned, beautiful and poignant. I understand why you don't leave comments open all the time, but I'm glad you did open them today. Death scares me and I was afraid to look it in the face.

Mindy at #56, they made me cry, too.

Thank you, Heather!

My grandmother died on Thanksgiving, in her bedroom surrounded by her relatives. It was so peaceful; so often we see death depicted in a violent manner. She lived to a ripe old age, and I am so glad we knew the end was coming so we could say our goodbyes.

Seeing these photos comforted me. I am so glad you posted the link.

brilliant. experiencing death without your own grief overshadowing every other feeling is a nice change.

I thought these photos were extremely powerful. I have no idea why someone would be offended with you for posting about them on your site. That is, unless they are not comfortable themselves with how they feel about life and death. Everyone is not at the same place with those things. I know I don't want to die and even talking about me or my loved ones dying makes me terribly sad. But to be offended is weird.

Thanks for posting this link. I'm so glad I looked at those pictures and read the stories. We can never have too many reminders to keep living and loving life as best we can.

This reminded me of the Six Feet Under episode when Claire was found taking pictures of a woman in her casket because she thought it was so beautiful and exciting.
It also reminded me of all the pictures we took of my stillborn son. We wanted visual reminders of his life and death so we could grieve his death while celebrating his life in my womb. Some people in our life thought this was a very "sick" thing to do (their words). One thing we realized as we went through the death of Brennan is that people are very wary of death because they can't control it and they don't understand WHY. Death is a part of life and when it happens in your family/circle of friends, it is devastating. Honor your loved ones who have died by being more gentle with strangers who say nasty things because they are terrified. Love more fiercely and unconditionally. Be more accepting.
Thank you, Heather for being brave enough to link to such beautiful, poignant pictures of life and death. Most people would rather avoid it all together.

I couldn't look away. I thought this was an honest and beautiful project. I work in a Seniors facility and have spent many hours bedside with residents as they are dying. Our lives are stories and I feel honored to be with people as their story ends. It amazes me how often they will wait until someone leaves the room to take their last breath. The story of the women who didn't speak to her ex-husband for 20 years, really had an impact on me. Forgive, Love, Live.

Thanks Dooce!

I always said, "You are born, you live, you die, the end." It sounds so easy, right? However, it is not so easy once you view those fotos. I'm actually crying after looking at them, and I don't really know why. Maybe it's because I'm closer to the end of my life than I am to the beginning. And I've got so much left to do! Guess I better get moving on that tout de suite...

I almost didn't look after the "nauseated" comment, but in the end I decided to be brave. I wasn't nauseated. I wasn't inpired. Some looked very close to the skeleton right beneath the surface. Others just looked peaceful. What was so scary and gross? Death is a part of life.

That was a fascinating look at death. It certainly wasn't anything we haven't all seen before if we've been to even one funeral.

I stared and stared at all the photos... very haunting, yes... but not nauseating. Mimi's just looking for a fight as a way to feel alive today, I'd guess.

I'm sad everyone attacked Mimi. I really like your blog Heather but sometimes the whole "everyone jump on board to tell Heather how amazing she is and let's all attack the horrible people who disagree with her" routine gets boring. Mimi has her own perspective on the posting--and wished that there had been a place for comments/expression about it- perhaps she didn't say that in the nicest way- but she had a honest reaction to what she saw.
And I respect Heather for responding to her challenge and opening up comments...

I thought it was fascinating and eye opening. Though I lack the eloquence to put it into words, I am both moved and awed by these photographs.