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In Illinois and other states, officials hoped that culls could halt the progress of chronic wasting disease. Now they are losing hope. (Robbins, 4/26)

Some consider the regular feeding of late-stage dementia patients to be nonnegotiable. Others see it as extending life unnecessarily. (Raphael, 4/30)

Fatimah Shepherd knew she was not supposed to get pregnant — not now, while her illness was acting up, and maybe never. Lupus, an autoimmune disease, was gnawing away at her kidneys, and doctors had warned her that pregnancy could tip her into full-blown kidney failure. But in December 2023, there it was, a positive pregnancy test: two bold lines on the test strip, bright pink and indisputable. (Rabin, 4/27)

When Jacqueline Pritchett’s 11-year-old son, Jacob, vanished last year, she refused to acknowledge that he existed. Her life is as mysterious as his disappearance. (Cramer, 4/26)

For people living with disabilities, barriers to tourism can range from the obvious — such as an out-of-service elevator — to the unseen, like an outing that’s too long or a setting that’s too loud. As the baby boom generation ages, the travel industry is increasingly catering to older adults with the time and money to sightsee internationally and who sometimes need additional assistance. (Dazio, 4/26)