Elisabeth Kübler was born on July 8, 1926, in Zürich, Switzerland, into a Protestant Christian Family. She was one of a set of triplets, two of whom were identical. Her life was jeopardized due to complications weighing only 2 pounds at birth, but says she survived due to her mother's love and attentiveness. Elisabeth later contracted pneumonia and was hospitalized at age 5, during which she had her first experience with death as her roommate peacefully passed away. Her early experiences with death led her to believe that because death is a necessary stage of life, one must be prepared to face it with dignity and peace.