My Obituary for Dame Cecily Saunders
I checked around, and from what I could tell, the death of the great founder of the modern hospice movement was completely ignored by the American media. What a travesty. Had she promoted policies that promoted suicide or other destructive medical approaches to the ill or disabled, she would have been given a big send off. But apparently, providing great succor and hope to the dying and their families isn't worth taking the time to applaud. Such are the times in which we live. I hope this piece is worthy of her memory.
posted by Wesley J. Smith @ 9:57 PM
5 Comments
5 Comments:
Great article, Mr. Smith. My dad died just this past April in a veteran's hospital hospice unit. He had gone from huge despair over his cancer and his fear of end-of-life suffering to relative peace due to the carefully-managed, round-the-clock care he received from hospice staff.
I shudder to think what would have happened to him spiritually had not hospice been able to manage his pain. God bless Dame Cecily and may she rest in peace.
Thank you very much for your contribution.
This was a deeply moving piece, Wesley. Thank you for writing it. Dame Saunders' life work, and in particular her promoting the idea of pain PREVENTION instead of pain TREATMENT, is an example of the usual way paradigm-changing ideas are treated. First they are rejected as being wrong. Then they are criticized as being impractical. Finally, the are belittled for being obvious. Dame Saunders introduced all the "obvious" measures of hospice care that have allowed so many to die with peace and comfort.
This was a deeply moving piece, Wesley. Thank you for writing it. Dame Saunders' life work, and in particular her promoting the idea of pain PREVENTION instead of pain TREATMENT, is an example of the usual way paradigm-changing ideas are treated. First they are rejected as being wrong. Then they are criticized as being impractical. Finally, the are belittled for being obvious. Dame Saunders introduced all the "obvious" measures of hospice care that have allowed so many to die with peace and comfort.
For readers of this Blog: Dr. Chevlen is a brilliant physician, with five, count them, five, board certifications, including in pain control. He is my co-author of--and prime contributor to--POWER OVER PAIN: HOW TO GET THE PAIN CONTROL YOU NEED.
Post a Comment
<< Home