Soon, Kübler-Ross was lecturing at hospitals and universities across the country.

"Eva's bearing and beauty flew against the truth that the young woman was terribly ill." kubler-ross received stacks of mail from readers thanking her for starting a conversation about death.

Kubler-ross had found her topic. She would talk about how American doctors-who, in her experience, were skittish around seriously ill patients-should approach death and dying.