Sympathy Vs. Empathy As a nephrologist, I have witnessed numerous patient-clinician encounters and heard even more from kidney patients during their clinic or dialysis visits. A recent conversation with one of my patients, who has a kidney disease, brought to light how she felt by the reactions and comments of her friends and relatives. [...]
The Importance of Resilience and Social Support Dialysis initiation is often associated with emotional distress, involving both patients and their families. Many aspects of these dynamic changes can be appreciated by evaluating different quality of life (QOL) parameters. […]
Book review by Mona Rassi “When Breath Becomes Air” is a book written by a 36 years old neurosurgeon who was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. Before going to medical school, Paul Kalanithi studied English literature. He loved reading and writing, and he took the opportunity to write a book that will influence the lives [...]
Until Further Notice, I Am Alive by Tom Lubbock A few weeks ago, Sifted Sand published a review of The Iceberg by Marion Coutts, a book detailing her husband’s terminal illness and how their lives changed after he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. This week, we review the second half of the story, written [...]
Can terminal illness mar your passion for life? No one plans his day as if he will die tomorrow. But what if you are aware that you don’t have much time left? Will your remaining life change forever? Will you retain your zeal for life? When you are given only a year or two to [...]
Though death is an ultimate reality of life, no amount of preparation can help us overcome the void that occurs with the death of our loved ones. The eventual shape that mourning takes is colored by the emotional connection we sustained with that person. […]
The Iceberg- Marion Coutts This book is a compelling and moving day-to-day account of the physical and emotional impact of a close family member becoming terminally ill. The writer has beautifully constructed a moving narrative, baring all her emotions and thoughts over a three-year journey as her husband dies with incurable cancer. […]
Do you ever consider the unthinkable? What thoughts and emotions would cross your mind if you know that your life partner was terminally ill? How would you imagine the minutes and the hours of the day passing? […]
Physician-Assisted Death in the Renal Unit? A special four-part series on the various struggles physicians face with the legalization of Physician-Assisted Death. PART FOUR In Conversation with Drs Rauf Sirman, Sonu Gaind and James Downar The series ends with a discussion between presenters Drs Rauf Sirman, Sonu Gaind, and James Downar and the audience comprised of community/academic [...]
Physician-Assisted Death in the Renal Unit? A special four-part series on the various struggles physicians face with the legalization of Physician-Assisted Death. PART THREE Physician-Assisted Death in Canada: Where We Are, Where We Are Going Presented by Dr. James Downar Dr. Downar expands upon Dr. Gainds lecture by exploring the various infringements in mental illness brought up in [...]
Physician-Assisted Death in the Renal Unit? A special four-part series on the various struggles physicians face with the legalization of Physician-Assisted Death. PART TWO Do Not Harm – Help Me Die: Navigating Mental Health Issues in the Turbulent Waters of Intolerable Suffering and (Ir)remediability Presented by Dr. Sonu Gaind Dr. Sonu Gaind opens up his lecture by [...]
A poem by Linda L. Dowd R.N. Reeling images of long ago are cascading through my mind, Picture-perfect in retrospect, ~ Memories intertwined. I pay no heed to pains of past, nor to regrets or sorrows, For they'd impinge upon todays and darken my tomorrows. I fill my mind with pleasant thoughts, [...]
Do aging couples impact each other’s physical and mental well being? Studies show that as we age in relationships, we become more biologically attuned to our partners. Sharing an environment and making cooperative lifestyle decisions can lead to a couple experiencing similar emotional and physical health effects that manifest themselves as biological similarities. These similarities [...]
With the recent legalization of physician-assisted death in Canada, what’s next? The legislation of physician-assisted death has Canadian provinces and territories scrambling to formulate the legal rules and regulations for providing this care. Health care professionals are committed first and foremost to improving and maintaining their patients' quality quantity of life, which poses serious concerns around the philosophical, [...]
