On Death and Dying

As the author asserts: “The one thing that usually persists through all these stages is hope” (148). Hope appears as soon as denial has shifted to anger. In every case, “even the most accepting, the most realistic patients left the possibility open for some cure” (148). The evidence is overwhelming that hope is intrinsic to the human spirit and necessary for the continued fight through illness until the very end.

Hope is also necessary for the health care personnel charged with caring for the dying patient. Even a doctor with all the evidence could still possess “the hope that something unforeseen may happen, that [the patient] may have a remission, that they will live longer than is expected” (149). Conflicts arise with family and loved ones, either because the family refuses to acknowledge the seriousness of the situation, or because the patient feels that everyone has given up on them. Hope is the means by which the inevitability of death and the pain and suffering which accompany them can be faced head-on with positivity and strength.

Obstacles in the face of death would not be so grave if death could be seen as a natural part of the human experience: “If we, as members of the helping professions, can help the patient and his family to get ‘in tune’ to each other’s needs and come to an