Hospice: for many people, that word feels like surrender. Like waving a white flag. Like telling someone you love that you've stopped fighting for them. This is one of the most persistent and painful myths in healthcare. And it couldn't be further from the truth. Where the Myth Comes From It's not hard to understand why people feel this way. We live in a culture that frames illness as a battle. We "fight" cancer. We're told to "stay strong" and "never give up." Recovery is ce