It always seems so scientific and detatched when you're in the classroom, learning how this drug will bind to this oncogene (excessive-cell-division-causing gene, for the uninitiated), and how that will stop the cancer from progressing. Yeah, if its bioavailability is high enough when it reaches the damned thing.
I think we've always thought Ethics was the least useful part of the course (i mean, the sciencey bit is the bit that we're gonna save ppl with right? its not like we're unethical to begin with, and even if some of us were, lessons aren't gonna change that). But fr this particular segment of our course, I really think Ethics shone out the most for me.
After all those endless lectures about wad cancer does, and how to treat it, we finally had to imagine ourselves being the ones treating the patient. I cant share any real examples, but anyway there're far too many stories out there as is, so I won't have to even if I could.
Cancer can happen in anyone. A kid, a grandpa, a young mom with a kid going to to K2 next year.
Can you imagine telling a 40 yr old father that with his Stage 4 lung cancer, his likelihood of living beyond the year is 25% (not real statistics, sry) ? In other words, can you imagine telling him that he'll never see his 2 yr old son getting into pri sch, much less seeing him get married and start his own family some day?
What can you do for a kid who's gonna die from leukaemia, but keeps blaming himself for being sick all the time and making Mommy and Daddy cry?
What can you possibly expect a mother to do when she's taking care of 3 kids aged 4, 7 and 12, and just diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer?
Chances are, she's gonna want to live. She KNOWS treatment cant kill off the cancers anymore, only slow them down. But she'll wanna live as long as she damned well can. Thats another problem.. You see, cancer drugs are expensive. And most of them target cell proliferation (this happens even in normal people. It's just excessive in cancers), so they're pretty toxic to norm cells too. Net effect, the family's gonna lose a lot of money, the drugs will only slow down the disease, and even then, there are adverse effects. Horrible, unimaginable pain -- and that's just the treatment.
Some of these drugs can buy you 10 years -- those are the beautiful moments. You're technically cured. Other times, in the aggressive ones, it could be a month, or a few weeks. That's astoundingly little fr the 6-figure price-tag for those drugs.
But when you're that mom, 1 more month is plenty. Afterall, you need to get the will in order. You need to meet your family and friends. You need to try all that food you've loved. You may wanna go with hubby to Paris, just like he promised for that 20th anniversary you're not gonna live to see. And most pressing to a mother: kids. You need to tell them what's important in life. To eat right. To sleep early. Don't talk to strangers. Brush your teeth. Listen to Daddy. Explain why you're going away for a long time and they can't come with you, but they'll understand when they get older.
Yes, any price, any pain, to get things in order as best as you can.Our tutor offered us 4 simple steps we can use to advise patients and help them say goodbye:
1. Say thank you -- to everyone who meant sth to you in your life
2. Say sorry -- to everyone who you've offended, intentionally or otherwise
3. Say "I forgive you" -- to your loved ones, in case they think you still blame them for that little something in the past that's now soso dwarved by Death
And lastly,
4. Say "I love you" and that it's forever and ever, even when they cant hear you say it anymore -- because they'll never get to hear it from you ever again.
So here's to the first time I cried while taking notes in a lecture theatre.
9/09/2010 11:55:00 PM
