Download - The Perfect Wisdom Web

Be Not Afraid Beyond MedicineBut that’s only one half of the story. The other is thoseof us whose unrealistic expectations – for just onemore surgery, one more experimental protocol – keepthe dying from saying what’s really on their mind: “Getme out of this hospital. I want to die at home.”Fear sometimes plays a role, too, on both sides.A hospital, wary of malpractice suits, may prefer tolose a “client” in the midst of a last-ditch effort thanlet him go home, only to find themselves fighting offgrieving relatives who claim the doctor should havedone more. And a family – even if they feel they havedone everything they could – may still stall at bringinga loved one home to die, because they fear being seenas unwilling to go the extra mile.As anyone who has ever been involved in end-of-lifecare will attest, no one set of guidelines could possiblywork for everyone. Each human being – even one withexactly the same diagnosis as another – approachesdeath in his or her own way, and each terminal illnessraises its own questions. But it is vital that thosequestions be honestly and openly addressed.Sometimes I wonder, for instance, how long the bodyshould be kept alive when it is clear that the soul longsto be released. When the prolonging of life means weeksor months of hospitalization with minimal contact andnegligible improvement, we need to be ready to askourselves: Are we keeping someone alive for his sake,