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The moment may come only once a year, perhaps just once in a lifetime, but it comes: The sky is black, the world is quiet, and you are seized by the fact that someday your life will end. It is hard news to take in – the immutability, the mystery of it. Although there is no disputing that death will someday come, it need not come without dignity. Death is often looked at as a time when all dignity is lost. “For many people there is no worse pain, no greater suffering, than when they feel that they have lost their dignity. ‘I feel so undignified’ is a constant refrain among the terminally ill people whose personhood is being assaulted from all directions. A dying person may not be able to dress and feed himself or evacuate his bowels and bladder. One may be totally dependent on loved ones, even strangers, for daily care. One may slowly lose those pieces of one’s identity that stemmed from one’s reputation and self-image as a doer, an organizer, an achiever, or a nurturer. In dying, a person’s sense of worth may wane, as he or she can no longer fulfill roles and responsibilities as a coworker, community member, or parent. Not only does one not contribute anymore, but also one has become a burden to the very pe