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.
I found your post very moving and explicitly showed your reactions and emotions toward this figure. A line I found very insightful was, "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." I also found it ironic that this figure was the complete oppostite as my grandmother who relies on medicine because she's afraid of death. The post made me question how we should use medicine.
ReplyDeleteSteph - I really enjoyed reading this blog post. It showed equally your perspective and the woman in the story. It seems as though through her experience you have been able to open up to your own ideas on life. The line that stood out to me was, "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." This seems like a common trend we are noticing throughout this unit. People would rather be surrounded by the ones they love the most verses the strangers who are paid to keep them alive. I think you have a good start to this story and I would like to hear more!
ReplyDeleteSteph- I really enjoyed this post because you stated your opinions on the situation and also the opinion of what the family member might believe. You didn't necessarily agree with what she believes, but that is what makes this post so interesting. It also shows how passionate you are about the subject. My favorite quote in this post was, "She is always falling and getting cuts and bruises but we all think of her as a warrior." In your familys case, her illness is not making her a weak person, but more of a fighter or "warrior". I find this very interesting because society would label her as the weaker link, but instead, you take a different approach. Beautiful!
ReplyDelete*Submitted by mentor
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this entry and I think that you provided great insight on your family member's situation. Your descriptions and point of view were expressed well. Although you did not necessarily agree with the decisions your family member had been making in her situation, you provided both her feelings and your own feelings about the experience. When someone writes about a topic they are passionate about, it is clear to the reader. Just make sure that while you're proofreading you pay close attention to using the correct tenses.
ReplyDeleteI thought your post was really interesting and yoy had a lot of really good insights regarding your family friend. One that really caught my attention was
ReplyDelete"The thing that surprised me the most was she doesn't take much medication and just deals with all the pain and discomfort."
This really interested me and seems like she is a very brave person. I wonder does she take part in any holistic practices? It seems like you really went into detail and you have a lot to say and have some strong feelings about it. Overall it was a good post aside from a few grammar mistakes.