I think "my wife is a hospice worker who has provided care to over 5000 patients and hasn't heard these regrets" is a pretty decent argument. I'm not saying Hanson is right, but I wouldn't dismiss his wife's experience.
Well, did she fish for them? The author states that she disagrees about asking such things, so isn't the answer no?
(And, beyond asking: is she the type people would trust with such things, or e.g. does she come of as more cold, etc? There can be many factors).