Cell 2 Soul: The Humane Health Care Blog

On Pride and the Struggle

There’s an old French saying: to cure sometimes, to relieve often, to comfort always.  It could serve a mantra for all health care professionals. It reminds us that it can be more important to treat the person who has the disease than it is to treat the disease the person has.

Two recent vignettes were sent to us that illustrate these points.

Croina’s Pride by James Channing Shaw and

My Struggle by Lee Thompson

Both provide valuable insights for patients, their families and all care givers.

They appear in The Online Journal of Community and Person-Centered Dermatology (OJCPCD), a free, post-publication peer-reviewed, full text, open-access, online publication.

On A Neurosurgeon Dying Young

In his 37 years, Paul Kalanithi wore many hats.  Near the end of his neurosurgical training at Stanford, he was diagnosed with widely metastatic lung cancer.  He wrote a memorable Op-Ed piece for the NY Times in January 2014.  He continued working when he could.  He and his wife, Dr. Lucy Goddard Kalanithi, had baby Cady on July 4, 2014. 

A palliative care colleague wrote: “His ‘dual citizenship’ as a doctor and as a seriously ill patient taught him that respectful communication is the bedrock of all medicine. We [came to] understand that the so-called soft skills of medicine are the truly hard skills to teach and to learn.”

Too few of us, these days, have the gift of time.  Spending a few moments with Paul Kalanithi will be worthwhile.  If you can take the time, start with the video produced at Stanford. 

Some resources:

NY Times Op-Ed. How Long Have I Got Left?  January 24, 2014

Stanford Magazine (March 11, 2013), Paul Kalanithi, writer and neurosurgeon, dies at 37

Stanford Magazine Podcast (February 25, 2013).  Days are long, years are short: Paul Kalanithi on time.

A.E. Housman.  To An Athlete Dying Young

There are many more…

No Cure For Bad Timing

“Most of our mundane ailments – the average aches, sprains or viruses – are  not amenable to much in the way of treatment. Each will run its course in a predictable arc of misery sometimes made a little better by rest, heat, ice, fluids, soup and various pharmaceutical pats.”  So argues Abbie Zuger in her insightful NY Times essay, No Cure for Bad Timing. (March 10, 2015).

This fine piece explains why some patients are forever dissatisfied with their medical care and other praise their caregivers.

About My Mother

February 10, 2015
by Marla Lukofsky

Marla Kissing Mommy

Yesterday was the anniversary of my mom's death. On that day back in 2006, in the afternoon, my mom took her last breath, in her own bed, just as she had wanted, just as it should be. She was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia one year after my dad died. It was terminal.

I remember when I went to say the mourner's prayer for 11 months at synagogue. I met so many people in the same situation. They were of great comfort to me. This daily prayer and those people there helped me get out of bed every morning. It was there that I met one of my now dearest friends, out of my tragedy...

Full Text PDF:  Download Marla's Mother

This piece was written by Marla Lukofsky, an inspirational Keynote Speaker, Stand-Up Comedian, Writer, Voice-over actor, Speaking Coach, Cancer Survivor. Email: mmlukofsky7ATaol.com

 

 

 

The End

The End is a New York Times series that features essays by people who work in fields dealing with death and dying, like medicine, ethics and religion, as well as personal essays by those who have experienced the death of a loved one.  It started at the end of January, 2015 with a piece by Ira Byock.

The End

The End is a New York Times series that features essays by people who work in fields dealing with death and dying, like medicine, ethics and religion, as well as personal essays by those who have experienced the death of a loved one.  It started at the end of January, 2015 with a piece by Ira Byock.