He sat there, waiting…waiting in agony for the results which would determine whether or not he would live. These results would reveal if he would die of liver failure. A nurse came out of the door into the waiting area and called, “Joseph Waters? Your results are ready and the doctor is ready to see you.” Joseph slowly and solemnly stood up and walked towards the door. He followed the nurse down the white fluorescent lighted hallway. She stopped near the end of the hallway where she opened a door and said, “Please feel free to sit anywhere, the doctor will be with you shortly.” Joseph responded quietly, “Thank you”, and walked into the room which had a bed, a bathroom, multiple chairs, and a very complicated looking machine next to the …show more content…
I also think it would be best for you to start going to therapy treatment. Do you agree to these terms, Joseph?” Joseph thought for a moment but then said, “Yes, of course. I understand.” “Ok, thank you. I will call you if anything abnormal happens.” Then Joseph got up and left the hospital. He walked to the train station and waited for the train to Manhattan, New York. Joseph never drove anywhere since the accident. He even had a car, but he just let it sit in his garage like an unwanted bad luck charm. The train conductor then announced that the next stop was Manhattan. Joseph got off, and walked home. By the time he got back to his little condo, it was almost dark. So he heated up some leftovers, sat on the couch, and turned on the TV. He wasn’t really watching the TV, but it seemed like it would be a good distraction. Even though Dr. Shah said his life could go on normally, he know he wouldn’t feel the same. Joseph was actually thinking about whether or not he should show up to work tomorrow. He hadn’t been going since the accident, and he guessed his boss hadn’t fired him because he know how hard it was for Joseph. Joseph decided that he was going to go to work tomorrow. So he set his alarm and went to bed. The next few weeks were pretty normal for Joseph. He went to work at the New York Times. In the evenings, he sat at home and wrote his books, the books he hoped would one day make him famous. He also went
They used a hard vocabulary to contain the terrible softness. Greased they 'd say. Offed, lit up, zapped while zipping. It wasn 't cruelty, just stage presence. They were actors. When someone died, it wasn 't quite dying, because in a curious way, it seemed scripted, and because they had their lines mostly memorized, irony mixed with tragedy, and because they called it by other names, as if to encyst and destroy the reality of death itself. "
“Tuesdays with Morrie” and “The Death of Ivan Ilych” both portray a character who is dealing with a serious terminal illness and advance knowledge of their deaths. One story is based on the realistic life of an American professor with the story’s characteristics tone from the 1990’s while the other is set during nineteenth century Russia. Even though Morrie Schwartz and Ivan Ilych both suffered from the illness, their dissimilar lifestyles and beliefs led to different perspective on facing death. One views the knowledge as a blessing and an opportunity to share his life experiences before making his final good-byes, the other agonizes in pain and begs for an
Last year 23 September 2012. I had a resident called “Mrs X” she was a 72year-old widowed living at ---, a Nursing Care Home. She’s not a religious type of person as she was Atheist. She has lived in the home for the past two years, and during that time I was assigned as her key worker. Mrs X had One Son and 3 grand daughters they are all regular visitors to the home. She has recently been diagnosed with renal failure, and her life expectancy is only a couple of months without dialysis. In the past Mrs X has made it clear that when her “time comes” she wants to be able to stay at Belmont House, and “go quietly”. She has stated that she does not want any treatment that will prolong her life. This means
This case surrounds the controversy brought about by the Arizona state legislature defunding life-saving organ transplant operations. In 1987, the Arizona state legislature voted to eliminate funding for most organ transplants for the indigent through the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS). At the same time of this decision, the legislature voted to extend health coverage to pregnant women and children in a “notch group.” The public controversy began when Dianna Brown died after being denied coverage for a liver transplant that would have saved her life. After her death, there was wide spread
Keeping a person alive by excessive treatment might devastate the family and make the dying suffer tremendously in the end. “Advance medical technology that seems to one person a godsend, extending life, may seem to another a curse that only prolong dying. Dignity can be devalued amid technology focused solely on the biological organism.”
With major advancement in medical treatments, it is now possible to keep a patient alive, which would not have been possible in former times. This has made end of life issue one of the most controversial issues in healthcare. Medical improvements have set the stage for ethical and legal controversies about not only the patient’s rights but also the family’s rights and the medical profession’s proper role. It is critical that any decision made in such situation is ethical and legal to preserve the rights of the patient and also protect the healthcare institution involved. It is very important when making decisions to discontinue treatments to make sure all other alternatives have been explored.
Why are we allowed to be more humane to our pets than our parents? Physician-assisted suicide is a voluntary termination of one’s own life by administration of a lethal substance with direct or indirect assistance of a physician. Euthanasia is another term for this practice it provides a competent patient with a prescription for the patient to use with the primary intention of ending his or her own life. Compassion and Choices or Death with Dignity are names of supporters that promote euthanasia, also referred to as physician-assisted suicide, and believe that it is just as humane for terminally ill animals as it is for people. I too agree that it should be legally and morally open for choice to anyone suffering from a terminal
On Death and Dying By Elisabeth Kubler-Ross For my book review, I read On Death and Dying, by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. Dr. Kubler-Ross was the first person in her field to discuss the topic of death. Before 1969, death was considered a taboo. On Death and Dying is one of the most important psychological studies of the late twentieth century. The work grew out of her famous interdisciplinary seminar on death, life, and transition. In this paper, I give a comprehensive book review as well as integrate topics learned in class with Dr. Kubler-Ross' work. Like Piaget's look at developmental stages in children, there are also stages a person experiences on the journey toward death. These five stages are denial/isolation, anger, bargaining,
1.) Explain how the answers to the self-inventories in the text concerning facts, attitudes, beliefs and feelings about death reflect our societal understanding or lack of understanding of death. I think that the self- inventory question reflected on both our understanding and lack of understanding about death related topics. Some of the answers to the questions on the inventory I knew without look at the answers, but some of the answers actually surprised me. The question about the death certificate was one of the questions that actually surprised me. I assumed before I did the inventory that every death certificate had a specific cause of death that was given on the certificate. Another answer that
What would you do if you were caring for a child whose condition would eventually kill them, but the parents wanted you to try every treatment? In the article “When Living Is a Fate Worse Than Death” by Christine Mitchell, the main point consists of this very question. The choice that hospital staff sometimes must make between keeping a child alive knowing that their condition will eventually take over or trying every procedure in an attempt to keep them alive. I believe that Mitchell does a great job in stating her claim favoring the side that a child with an illness that would, in time, take their life should be allowed to die peacefully rather than enduring painful procedures and bouncing between home and hospitals.
Virtually everyone dreads having to discuss preparations for their loved ones after they are gone. We know that death is a natural part of the life cycle but we would still rather not discuss it. Although this is a sensitive topic on which many choose to remain silent; preparation for death, or death period, is an important conversation to have. The earlier we talk about it the less confusion there is among family members. One thing that will destroy a family/ relationship is greed. Love of money is the root of all evil. When a decedent has a will and/or life insurance policy in place this often can prevent disputes and eliminate confusion. It helps to clarify your wishes by sitting everyone down and talking about the end of life as a family. When having the conversation you can disclose the amount of any life insurance and how it is to be divided. In addition to having life insurance, it is important to make sure that each family member knows you have a will. The will documents how any real or personal possessions are to be disposed of. The conversation is not meant to incite fear, or make anyone feel uncomfortable, but rather to help everyone realize that eventually we will all die; it’s part of the life cycle.
Life After Death All of the major religions believe in life after death. However the ideas from religion to religion can vary greatly. I am going to look at Hinduism and Christianity, two religions that I have been surrounded by all my life, and the different perceptions they have of life after death, and then I will give my own view. "For certain is death for the born and certain is birth for the dead; therefore, over the inevitable thou shouldst not grieve.
The abstract idea of life cannot be explained by such simple ideas as being animated, breathing, or speaking. Ordinary machines in this century can perform all of these basic functions. The quandary with defining death is not as abstract and elusive as that of life. The problem of defining life and death has plagued philosophers and the religious bodies for thousands of years for one reason; each philosophy or religion has tried to define the meaning of life and death from only their certain perspective. The seemingly appropriate approach to this problem would be to understand the ideas presented in various philosophies and religions and through this knowledge create a new definition for each idea of life
There are some philosophies we can take to be better prepared to face death. First, by attending to the important relationships in our live so that we don?t have regrets about what we failed to say or do with those we
It was only suppose to be out of curiosity. Nothing more, nothing less... so how did it end up like this?