Chasing Daylight : How My Forthcoming Death Transformed My Life

by O'Kelly, Eugene; Postman, Andrew

• ISBN13: 9780071471725
• ISBN10: 0071471723
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-12-23
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill

Summary

"Must the end of life be the worst part? Can it be made the best?" At 53, Eugene O'Kelly was in the full swing of life. Chairman and CEO of KPMG, one of the largest U.S. accounting firms, he enjoyed a successful career and drew happiness from his wife, children, family, and close friends. He was thinking ahead: the next business trip, the firm's continued success, weekend plans with his wife, his daughter's first day of eighth grade. Then in May 2005, Gene was diagnosed with late-stage brain cancer and given three to six months to live. Just like that. Now a growing darkness was absorbing the bright future he had seen for himself. He would have to change his plans, quickly, and capture what he could of his last diminishing days. Chasing Daylightis the account of his final journey. Starting from the time of his diagnosis and concluded upon his death less than four months later, this book is his unforgettable story. With startling intimacy, it chronicles the dissolution of Eugene O'Kelly's life and his gradual awakening to a more profound understanding. Interweaving unsettling details of his battle with cancer with his moment-to-moment reflections on life and death, love and success, spirituality and the search for meaning, it provides a testament to the power of the human spirit and a compelling message about how to live a more vivid, balanced, and meaningful life. Inspiring, passionate, deeply insightful,Chasing Daylightis a remarkable man's poignant farewell to a beloved world.

Author Biography

Gene O'Kelly served on the KPMG management committee before becoming its CEO, in which capacity he served from April 2002 to June 2005 before becoming a Senior Partner of the firm.

Table of Contents

A GIFT	1	(18)
THE BOTTOM LINE	19	(24)
THE BUSINESS OF DYING IS HARD	43	(28)
THE BEST DEATH POSSIBLE	71	(26)
THE GOOD GOOD-BYE	97	(24)
TRANSITION	121	(36)
CHASING DAYLIGHT By Corinne O'Kelly	157