End of Life

A Glimpse into the Chaotic and Horrible Process of Dying

I believe the video provides a fascinating glimpse into the chaotic and horrible process of dying. It’s an emotional period for those who are caring for the sick patient.

Dealing with Pain

In my opinion, dealing with pain, as demonstrated in the movie, would be a challenge for me in certain aspects. I would be terrified of getting a terminal illness because, like everyone else, I am terrified of death. The thought of losing physical vigor and power, of not being able to do things on my own as I am accustomed to, would profoundly harm my sense of independence. Honestly, I do not think I could give up a fight against any disease. I would begrudgingly accept my fate but above all, resort to enjoying the few last moments with my family. Family support is crucial especially at the time of mental deterioration like depression and anxiety. But most importantly, I believe fear would profoundly affect me and as such, I know I would need a loved one’s reassurance of a better afterlife.

The Onset of the Interview

In Philip Francis’ case, the onset of the interview presents an insightful look at the character of the person. The cancer of the liver made him spiritual, and he hoped he would get a miracle healing. Also, he says that he does not like the situation of his health and is not ready to die, he loves life. His keen sense of self-dependence evidenced by the fact that he does not want to let go of the rigorous business he runs because he fears the situation might get out of hand. As time goes by and his condition worsens, he starts to lose his strength and his ability to speak diminishes. It is such a harrowing experience for the family, especially the video of his wife as she announces his death.

The Most Touching Experience

The case of Susie Gonzales is probably the most touching, moving, and emotional transition to the death experience. Watching her scene makes one ask many questions as to the cruelty of life itself. She is nineteen years old, yet she had bone cancer. During the early periods of her scene, her voice is relatively loud and can speak words audibly enough. The sight of their daughter lying in bed helpless as she wastes off gradually has a significant impact on her father and mother. However, her father is more moved as seen by how uncontrollably he sheds tears while speaking to the doctor about her. Susie is both an expression of strength and compassion in the way she tells the social worker of how much it hurts her that she makes her father suffer. Her empathy towards her father is most touching considering she is suffering from a cruel terminal illness that at this point has sucked the strength out of her with her speech reduced to low mumbling syllables. Her death elicited emotions in me because I felt that it was very unfair for her to die at such a young age.

A Philosophical Approach

When it comes to Robert Pierce, I feel he was more philosophical about death. He used a lot of sarcasm to deny the feeling of pain and did not want to look distressed and afraid of death. At most times, I feel he chose to embrace the thought of death because of his spirituality and even despised those who feared to die. Furthermore, he expressed his spirituality well when he visits a Buddhist temple to pray and spent his last moments with his family and divorced wife. The exciting bit about Robert is that even though he might project a feeling of readiness for death, his lung cancer illness robbed him of a quick death, which she preferred. Even at his last moments, he still uses sarcasm to deny pain.

A Desperate Battle

In Rosalie Evan’s case, her rectal cancer makes her undergo much pain and misery. She has a caring friend who came to see her every day for five months and did anything she wanted. She is an interesting character since she does not agree with her hospice nurse on her form of medication that the hospice center suspect she abuses. She tries all types of natural and spiritual healing techniques to cure her coupled with her deep faith in God. However, all her attempts at creating a miracle that she hopes will come sooner or later do not come to fruition when she decides to go to Georgia to live with her daughter. She eventually died without her caregiver friend ever seeing her again. She represented the desperate picture of someone who would go to any cost to remain alive. It is sad she died a painful death. Lastly, Stanley Cepin seems like a grumpy man with his lung cancer illness and displays few occurrences of feigned disliking towards him. His son took care of him until his last moments as he developed difficulty breathing. The hospice team also seemed affected by the deaths, especially Susie Gonzalez’s and Robert Peirce. It goes to show the hard and emotionally taxing work the team has to bear in offering end of life care for their patients.

The Role of Family

With regards to family, Philips daughters and wife were supportive all through the time. Susie’s mother and father, though devastated, were at her bedside during her last breath and it gave them much closure in the end. Robert’s daughter took care of him and took him wherever he went; she did not leave his side. Rosalie’s friend and caregiver proved a loyal and helpful friend by going to see her every day for five months and tried distracting her from the pain. Stan’s son had gone through death before with the loss of his mother and proved well prepared for his father’s death. He did not seem much perturbed by the thought of the distressing wheezing sounds that would later result in the death of Stan Cepin a few hours later.

A New Perspective on Life and Death

The meaning of “living” before the terminal illness has developed a new definition for me. I hold the view that living is just not about pursuing my dreams and ambitions, but it is most importantly about the people who will be with you on your death bed, your family. Also, death has made me realize that dying through a terminal illness is a painful and terrible ordeal that I would not want to go through. As such, if I knew someone who had a terminal disease and did not have much time, the best I realize I could do is be a friend, provide for them to the best of my ability and try as much as possible to make them happy and comfortable.