Heart Sounds

Finding Connection, Courage, and Clarity in Life’s Final Chapter

An inspiring new book by Dr. Dawn Gross, guiding individuals and families through the conversations that matter most at the end of life. Heart Sounds: How a Stethoscope, a Magic Wand, and a Fishing Pole Teach Us to Listen for What Matters Most shares true stories that move beyond medical training and into the experiences of a doctor at the bedside

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About the Book

When it comes to end-of-life, silence often speaks louder than words. Yet, in Heart Sounds, physician and storyteller Dr. Dawn Gross shows us that opening our hearts—and our mouths—can transform what feels unbearable into a profound experience of connection, healing, and even joy.

Drawing on decades of experience at the bedside, Dr. Dawn invites readers into intimate stories that reveal how honest, loving conversations can inspire connection, transforming fear and grief into legacies of care and Love.

Whether you are facing your own mortality or walking alongside someone you love, Heart Sounds offers the tools, language, and reassurance needed to navigate end-of-life with dignity, grace, and presence.

Hear from Dr. Dawn Gross

Why she wrote Heart Sounds and what she hopes readers will take away.

Lessons on Love, Loss, and Legacy

Why discovering what matters most can be difficult and why it matters when navigating healthcare
How to shine light on what matters most
What advocacy can look like
What creating a legacy can feel like
Redefining grief as an injury
At the heart of what matters most is communicating and receiving Love

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About the Author

As a rigorously trained physician-scientist, earning her PhD in immunology and her fellowship specialty training in hematology, Dr. Dawn’s unexpected turn toward end of life care cracked open a new approach to practicing medicine with curiosity, wonder and love.

Dr. Dawn offers a rare invitation to look over her shoulder and sit at the bedside of people approaching the very end of life where conversations about what matters most amplify the sounds of our hearts. Instead of being seen as the grim reaper, Dr. Dawn thinks of herself as a fairy godmother.

Importantly, she is not the only one with a magic wand. We all have the power to be curious. The key is to take that power and empower others to take action. To advocate! Learning to listen for the sounds of our hearts is the first step to making wishes come true and manifesting legacies.

Early Praise

A Moving Meditation on Love

This is practical and moving and at its heart a deep meditation on Love.

A Book with Presence, Personality, and Spirit

I am really impressed by your choices for size, shape, texture, and printing method. All of those things combine to give your book real presence and personality, generating an incessant urge for me to pick it up and hold it. I truly love how you have manifested your vision: this book is very much in this world, but has life within it that says, to any who notice such things, that it is clearly not from this world. In bringing its spirit here you have given it, in my mind, a perfect physical form through which it can speak.

A Book to Share—Full of Life Lessons

I loved it and plan to share it with buddies, some of whom have a tough time dealing with emotions, suffering and death. It has a wonderful autobiographical slant, and is full of lessons that most of us have not learned.

A Book that Opens Hearts

I have never started a book in the middle, as I was glancing through it the page with “A magic wand” showed up and grabbed me….Today I am more clear and can feel the connection. …The emotional state has shifted. I am connected to my heart…Just having the book in my presence has me able to hear my own heart sounds.

A Warm, Inviting Space to Talk About Death and Dying

Heart Sounds creates a warm, inviting space to talk about death and dying—wrapped in the comfort of a blanket, a hug, and a cup of tea. I wept as I read, deeply moved by the patient stories and reflections. This book is a true gift and one I’ll treasure—and recommend to others.

Carla Kuon, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine | UCSF

Order Your Copy Now

To order a copy for yourself and the people you love, simply make a tax-deductible donation of $35 or more to ANX Foundation here and the book is Dr. Dawn’s way of saying “thank you” for supporting projects that make discovering what matters most…magic!

ANX Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (Tax ID 83-1863594) funded by donations from employees, community partners, private and corporate donors, as well as families and friends of patients. All contributions are fully deductible as allowed by law. 100% of all donations go directly to fund programs. Donations can be made via check to "ANX Foundation" and mailed to 1633 Bayshore Fwy. Suite 234, Burlingame, CA 94010 or online HERE . Please write “I SEE YOU for the Soul” in the subject line to direct your donation to support these projects in the community.