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and by the frontline journalism fund, with a grant from scott nathan and laura debonis. >> narrator: in the intensive care unit at mount sinai hospital in new york city, a family gathers. gendolina lara-morillo has been kept alive on a ventilator for the last five days. >> she's not doing well. she's dying. very difficult. we know. >> narrator: with every major organ failing from end-stage liver disease, her family is now faced with taking her off life support. >> we have a decision to make. one of the decisions is whether we should take the tube from the mouth and take it out. does he have thoughts about that? >> say yes. >> okay. so, let me prepare you for what may happen. the icu is at the apex of life and death. we give a little bit of a dose of the sedative to make sure she feels no pain. we have a tremendous amount of technology that prolong life, but ultimately, we can't overcome the patient's illness, in most cases. they have cancer, they have kidney disease, they have end-stage liver disease. they have these diseases that are life-shortening. after we remove the