Death as a common mental health issue, however, can be viewed through a lens of student well-being, which can be nurtured through the use of a simple triad--maximize positive affect, minimize negative affect, and minimize the inhibition of affect (Watchtel 2016). Teachers often fear that difficult topics may maximize negative affect. Counterintuitive to the notion, this assumption may actually cause disequilibrium to well-being by inhibiting affect and the expression of present student challenges (Compare et al. 2014; Kelly and Thorsborne 2014). This article explores death and disease through personal experience grounded in science core content, understood through skills necessary for scientific literacy and facilitated through skills taken from restorative practices and humanist perspectives in psychology (Kelly and Thorsborne 2014; Levine and Levine 1998; Pearson and Wilson 2009; Rogers 1951). The lesson presented constructs a model that "describes that all organisms have unique and diverse life cycles, but all have in common birth, growth, reproduction, and death" (NGSS 2013, 3-LS1). The personal experience is then analyzed and expanded upon. The following lesson and personal story were used to provide students opportunities to reflect, express, and start a journey to deeper understanding.