HW 27

During the holidays I took a visit to a family members house. She's been in the hospital a couple of times, her most recent visit was because her lung collapsed. She is always falling and getting cuts and bruises but we all think of her as a warrior. After coming out of the hospital she got this really bad cough, she turns red and hacks up a bunch of mucus and she's unable to speak for a while because she try's to gain her breath back. As I was leaving her house she stated that she never wants to go back to a hospital and if she's going to die she wants to die in the comfort of her own home.

Hearing her say this wasn't too surprising because if I was in her situation I would want to do the same. The thing that surprised me the most was she doesn't take much medication and just deals with all the pain and discomfort. If she took an Advil here and there i believe she would be more comfortable and not always complaining. I brought up the idea of going to the doctors to get some medicine for her cough and she threw a tantrum like a two year old. It is possible that she doesn't want to feel like she is relying on medicine to keep her alive and she wants to die "naturally" and if it's her time to go she wants to just go.

One thing that made me sad was she stopped something she loved doing all her life, which was art. She tells us that her arthritis is so bad she can't hold the utensils necessary for working. If she wasn't so stubborn I bet she would be able to find something that helped the arthritis enough so she would be able to do some art. I wish she wasn't so stubborn and was more open to some medical assistance so she would be in less pain.

HW 26

Insights

1. Don't dwell on your illness, try to make the best of it (Tuesdays with Morrie)

2. really appreciate loved ones while there still here (quest speaker)

3. Health care is an illness within its self. (Sicko)

4. Keep doing the things you enjoy regardless of your illness (quest speaker and Tuesdays with Morrie)

The book Tuesdays with Morrie really impacted me and helped me think deeper into dying and illness. It was so helpful because I really looked up to Morrie even though I didn't know him, the way he dealt with his illness was very inspiring and opened up my eyes to the little things in life. He did this by explaining and letting us in on his last couple of months alive and being very open with the affects of his illness. He made jokes such as being so sick he will soon have to get his ass wiped by a stranger and how normal it was having people help him pee into a bottle, simple things like this made me respect Morrie.

In the last few weeks of this topic I believe we should explore how to deal with illness. Not the simple things but explore how to make our loved ones more comfortable, I guess that is more of a personal task but brainstorming general ideas could be beneficial to others. Another thing we can explore is certain illness's and the affects they have on people. This would keep us aware and we could learn how to prevent certain illnesses.

Hw 25 Response to Sicko

Precis: Health care in the United States is no were close to helpful, other countries such as Canada, France, and Britain have health care and it actually has wonderful benefits and patients get helped with little to no fees and they don't wait hours for help like us Americans do. While seeking for help within the health care "community" there are many rules and laws set so the chance of people getting help for free is slim to none. If America decided to work together our health care could be improved tremendously and we could all benefit from those changes.

Evidence 1:

What caught my eye was when the movie was getting into detail about Hillary Clinton and how she was fighting for better health care. This caught my attention because the more she fought for it the less attention she got and she was told to stop bringing it up. This only made me believe that the people (government) working for health care are just in it for themselves and not for the actual patients. To this day health care has not changed and us Americans are still assed out.

Evidence 2:

People in other countries have better health to the point that the poorest people in other countries are healthier then some of the richest people in America. That is a big argument which has been proven and this should have American health care workers. the government on there toes. Doctors in Britain are also paid more when patients illnesses improve, why can't America work a plan like this so the government is eager to make health care cheaper?

These two pieces of evidence are relevant because they both show/prove that other countries have better health care which improves the life's of most residents/ patients.

Thoughts and ideas:

After watching Sicko I was shocked by how differently patients in other countries were treated, I was actually quite jealous. A week before I saw the movie my mother complained to me how her health insurance had gone up and how she still had to pay at least 200 dollars for medicine every month. If we moved to Canada she wouldn't have to worry about spending so much on something that everyone should get free.

If doctors are prescribing these medicines to certain people, its obviously because they need them not because they want them, so in my mind patients should not have to pay for medication, because in the long run those medications ad up to a big amount.(money wise)

Book part 3

Title: Mountains beyond mountains

Author: Tracy Kidder

Publisher: Random house

Year published: 2003

Precis: Paul's journey through Haiti and his life as a devoted doctor helped made Haitians through there health issues. Paul was in the business for the pure sense of helping others, his selflessness lead him to great things. Although it didn't lead him to tons of money, it lead him to the great feeling of helping others and that's what he yearned for. He became a spoke persons for the Haitians because they was unable to do so with there poverty and illness as constrictions.

Quotes:

"Never underestimate the ability of a small group of committed individuals to change the world." page 164

The first thing that came to mind after I read this was Paul. I thought about him because he was just one person who made a huge difference in many people's life because he was so committed and passionate about his job. I agree with this statement because if someone is confident enough and have there mind set on doing/ accomplishing something I believe they can succeed. (A rational goal helps)

For him, the reward was inward clarity, and the price perpetual anger or, at best, discomfort with the world..." page 210

For Paul the reward wasn't money, the reward was simply knowing he helped someone, or improved there living (illness wise)

"If only you saw patients, you might not be happy" page 281

Although some of the sights Paul witness were disturbing, he still continued to help the people of Haiti and didn't give up on them. His dedication was unbelievable and inspiring.

Final thoughts:

When I first started this book I wasn't to touched and it didn't really mean much to me. As I kept reading on i realized that I could actually learn from this, not simply learn that helping others is a courteous thing to do, but that being selfless at times can actually be a wonderful reward. I tried being selfless for the day and to be honest id didn't work out as I planned, but after I would do something selfless I felt "happy" actually quite relieved. I'm still not sure what this feeling meant but I enjoyed it, on the train I tend to let older people sit, I try and hold doors open for people, and with close friends instead of asking for favors in return I simply help them out because I know its the "right" thing to do. The situations I just mentioned might not be actions of selflessness but they are acts of kindness and being kind is a good first step to being selflessness in my eyes.

Illness and dying book part 2

Title: Mountains beyond mountains

Author: Tracy Kidder

Publisher: The random house publishing group

Year published: 2003

Precis: With the research Dr. Paul realized that the program DOT had many flaws. Instead of helping patients it made people sicker. He works with the sick Haitians and gives them all his attention and heart to the point were he gets sick himself. His selfless continues and he only wants the Haitians to be taken care of and given a fair chance with their health conditions.

Quotes:

TO BE CONTINUED

HW22 Book part 1

Title: Mountains Beyond Mountains

Author: Tracy Kidder

Publisher: The random house publishing group

Year published: 2003

Precis:

Being raised in a family that wasn't very wealthy Paul Farmer found ways to make his father proud. Paul was a very good student and got a full scholarship to a great college. After college he soon fell in love with helping the poor people in Haiti with free medical care. He devoted most of his life to helping those in need with medical issues for little to no pay. He was a very selfless person.

Quotes and responses:

"he was one himself-who held apparently contradictory beliefs, such as faith in both medicine and prayer" Page 35

I picked this quote because it was interesting and it made me think, if Paul was trying to help people how could he help if he wasn't completely sure about what he believed in? How could this serve as another obstacle for his long journey?

"Looking back, Jennifer would say that her brother Paul and her father shared certain qualities. Above all, she thought, Once they'd focused in a goal, neither one would quit" Page 57

When Paul or his father would want something they would seek out that thing and give it 150% percent. This quality definitely helped Paul during his time in Haiti.

"A doctor who didn't understand local culture would probably mistake many patients' complaints for bizarre suspensions, or at best be utterly baffled" Page 83

Along with giving the Haitians most of his time for little to know pay, Paul had to learn about there culture and learn there habits in order to fully help each patient. The more I read the more I am amazed by how much dedication Paul truly had to his job.

HW 21 thinking partners

Sarah's blog comment:

Your 10 thoughts and insights from the talk were very similar to mine if not the same, so I agree with the ideas you chose to put down. Your insights about how Erik continuing his art work till his late stages of illness were very powerful, I agree with your ideas and think you got into depth and really focused on how he didn't let his illness stop him from doing things he enjoyed. Your last couple of questions confused me a bit and I didn't see how they connected, next time you can possibly explain your question and how it connects. Other then that I'm looking forward to your next post.

Megumi's blog comment:

Your 9 insights from the speaker were powerful and you went into depth with each one which made your blog powerful. Your connection to your grandfather in the first paragraph was a great way to connect everything together and it really showed how much Beth's words affected you. One thing I would say to do is to proof read because I saw a couple of gramatical and spelling mistakes. Other then that i look forward to reading your other post.

Jay's blog comment:

The way you chose to list your insights and experiences was creative. unlike other blogs you intertwined the insights into your paragraphs and explained them with depth and thought. I believe if you connected your thoughts to yourself in more depth your pst could have been more powerful. other then that i really enjoyed reading your work and I look forward to reading more.

HW 21 excerpt

Insights:

1. Never mentioned death or dying

2. Erik was mostly home with the kids instead, while Beth worked. (Traditional gender roles switched)

3. Didn't stop making art

4. When Erik started feeling sick he did not go straight to the doctors, he waited some time. Beth stated this was one because of health care/ money issues but also because as a male her husband was stubborn

5. Family really helped Beth out with day to day things such as laundry, so she could spend more quality time with Erik

6. Erik and Beth wanted people to look at Erik as a regular person not a person with cancer

7. Once Erik passed on there was a stillness and feeling in the room that she couldn't describe

8. Although Beth wasn't a Buddhist she found comfort in a Buddhist, who explained what to expect once Erik was ready to pass on

After hearing Beth's story I was very touched, not touched as in "aw I miss someone who left my life" but touched in the way were I wanted to let everyone know I appreciated them even if I picked on them ever so often. Hearing Beth talk about how her husband and her never mentioned death or dying stunned me. I was actually quit jealous, Erik was able to live the rest of his life without really thinking about his death and just enjoying the time he had left with his family and doing "regular" things. Now that I think about it if people didn't have to worry about there death and were always surrounded by people who loved them, there passing would be more peaceful an a lot more relaxing (minus the pain factor depending on the persons illness) Like my mother always tells me "some things are better left unsaid" and I agree this statement fits perfectly with how Beth and Erik treated not mentioning death or dying during Erik's different stages of kidney cancer.

When Beth first started her talk she mentioned that since she was good with computers, she was the one who went to work everyday and earned the larger paycheck. This meant that Erik stayed home with the kids. I found this to be powerful because the "normal" thing is for the guy to work and the women usually stays home and raises the kids, but to hear that the roles were switched gave me some hope that "normal", might not be so normal after all.

Some questions that popped into my head when listening to Beth speak was why did she choose to speak to a Buddhist? Why not a priest or a Rabbi? Another question was how did Erik's illness affect the rest of the family? Such as any of his brothers or sisters, or even her sisters or brothers? She only talked about how Erik's illness and death affected her and her two sons, not those who he had encounters with. My last question was how was she able to hold her composure (tears) while talking to all four classes about her husbands death? I would personally be in tears and unable to hold myself together and just brake down. Having Beth come in and talk to our class really affected the way I act towards people, although its only been a day I am more grateful for the people in my life and I've told all my closest friends that I enjoy there company and would miss them dearly if they ever went anywhere.