Reporter Diane C. Lade and photographer Carline Jean spent 9 months with an older gay couple as the eldest grappled with declining health and, finally, death.This is a very human love story that illuminates an emerging area of health policy: the issues LGBT couples face as they age, particularly with a terminal illness. The subjects of the story are two people any reader, gay or straight, could identify with. Richard, the terminally ill partner, was dying from cancer. His partner, Chris, had to juggle work and caregiving duties. Yet they also faced challenges that most heterosexual couples do not. While not a “policy piece,” the key issues that LGBT couples face are a theme running through the story.
