Sustained Strength Through the COVID 19 Pandemic
Sustained strength is not aggression, nor muscular feats. It is not violence or coercion, nor is it righteous anger. Sustained strength is fueled by compassion, by solidarity, by community. Sustained strength is endurance. It is focus, aspiration and discipline. Sustained strength is the willingness to do the mundane with lightness and joy. It is the […]
Taking a Central Role in Your Own Healthcare
Here are some things a patient can do to be more of a central participant in their healthcare: Treat every medical appointment like an important meeting. Think about your questions, read about your condition, think about your goals for the appointment. Write the questions and concerns you have and bring them with you to each […]
Hope is a Creative Process
Lisa’s cancer progressed, and eventually she couldn’t keep that secret from her mom…
Hope: Soothing Suffering
Hope in the medical setting is often reduced to whether a seriously ill person will live or die, or cured of an illness that’s not life-threatening. When cure is not possible, patients want their suffering treated and soothed. Suffering can be complex, caused by many different things. Researchers have discussed that we need to do […]
Hope: More than a Single Thing
People manage hope and disappointment during life’s ups and downs in very personal ways. Doctors and patients usually place their hopes on a positive medical outcome. This is understandable: a patient wants his cancer to be cured, and a physician wants the patient to be cured. However, in conditions like cancer, when we place […]