Amanda Bennett: We Need A Heroic Narrative For Death

This is not a video related to trading. Clipping it here for myself.

The issue is controversial. If you are not interested in terminal illness or topics related to death do not continue from here.

Cancer patients, terminal patients in general and their caregivers are like a completely isolated group in the modern society. The emotional rides and difficulties in everyday struggle cannot be understood easily by people who have never experienced the same. Not even professionals in the medial field can relate and communicate efficiently with the group if they do not work closely with terminally ill patients.

Before modern medical science exists, patients with prolonged illnesses rarely survive beyond a year or two of physical suffering. With advancement in our understanding of human bodies, patients with prognosis of 6 months can often survive for years. What is not questioned in the video, however, is the lack of objective thinking over the time vs. quality issue.

Is it better to live longer say by 2 years with extreme suffering in terms of pain and other side effects in at least 50% of the remaining time for the patient?

Or it is better to focus on symptoms management where the patient gets the chance to live closer to a normal person’s life over the originally expected life span so that the remaining time can be better spent, and most important of all, enjoyed with peace and dignity?

There is no correct answer to these questions. It all depends on the patient’s unique situation. This opens up the issue of helping the patients and their caregivers in making informed decisions during their most emotional period. It also raises the issue that many doctors in the medical field do not really offer ethical professional opinions.

Cannot blame them though,

"Never consult a litigation lawyer whether you should sue someone."

"Never ask a surgeon whether you need an operation."

I am adding this one,

"Never ask a chemo specialist whether you need chemotherapy."

Unlike other decisions, once a terminally ill patient committed to classic chemo or radiation treatment, they are on hook for life thus there is no bailout from the treatment. Yet new drugs that can suppress cancer growth efficiently with fewer side-effects may not even be mentioned by the chemo/radiation specialist.

Ms. Bennett is right that it is important for us all to see death in a different way. Viewing death with fear instead of accepting the fact that we are all going to die clouds our judgement. When we encounter life threatening illness, we need all the courage we can gather and use our objective thinking to make the best possible decisions.

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