I had the privilege of meeting Dr. Robert Twycross on the second day of joining my MD Palliative Medicine program at AIIMS, New Delhi, in February 2018. It was a fateful interaction, considering the odds of meeting the father of modern palliative medicine, as we study it today, at the beginning of my career in this field. In that brief personal interaction, he left a lasting, positive impact on me. Anyone who has spoken to him will agree that he was a person with a heart filled with kindness and a soul full of empathy, which shone through in his personality.
His words instilled confidence in me when I was uncertain about my future, and from that day on, he has influenced and guided me through his books and articles, which are essential to our education in palliative care. His work will continue to guide young minds joining this field, and those of us who have had the privilege of living in the same era as him will share and pass on stories about his impact on shaping the world of palliative medicine.
He dedicated his life to palliative care and has left a legacy that will live on forever through his extensive work and the values he instilled in all those who had the honor of meeting him.