What constitutes family?

Sometimes it means different things to different people. I have friends who know more about me than most of my family and let’s not forget the existence of play cousins, which has been highlighted in a television commercial for a cellular service provider. Some of us have people in our lives who would not traditionally be considered family, but they are family to us. I have read and been advised that this is why we have living wills, advanced directives and power of attorney documents. Unfortunately, sometimes, the hospital staff does its own thing anyway.