Lucy Kalanithi: What makes life worth living in the face of death
لوسي كالانيتي: ما الذي يجعل الحياة تستحق العيش في مواجهة الموت
Lucy Kalanithi is dedicated to helping others choose the health care and end-of-life experiences that best align with their values. Full bio
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was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer,
بمرض سرطان الرئة المرحلة الرابعة،
medical students at Yale.
السنة الأولى للطب في جامعة "يال"
in the trunk of his car,
the care he took with his patients.
شاهدت كيف يعتني بمرضاه.
the experience of illness
of a heart that had ceased beating.
لمريض توقف قلبه عن النبض .
to approach suffering together.
as a neurosurgeon
and a cough that wouldn't go away.
وسعال لا يتوقف.
in Paul's lungs and in his bones.
أورام في رئتيه وعظامه.
with devastating diagnoses;
يتم تشخيصهم بأمراض خطرة،
for 22 months.
through really tough medical decisions.
مع القرارات الطبية الصعبة.
into the hospital for the last time
(بول) إلى المستشفى للمرة الأخيرة
as a caregiver --
يقدم العناية للآخرين
deepened what that meant.
هذا المعنى في داخلي.
his identity during his illness,
هويته أثناء مرضه،
bouncing back to where you were before,
لما قبل حدوث الشيء،
the hard stuff isn't hard.
approach it together,
Paul said to me after his diagnosis was,
(بول) بعدما تم تشخصيه،
we get to say anything out loud.
قول أي شيء بصوت مرتفع.
to be exactly what we needed.
just keep saying things out loud.
an advance directive is an act of love --
هو فعل من افعال الحب..
a tangible part of our love story.
accept his diagnosis.
in devastating situations,
المرضى في وضع مؤلم،
and uncertainty of a serious illness.
الأكيدة لمرض خطير.
against lung cancer,
months to a few years left to live.
سوى بضع سنوات ليعيشها.
from doctor to patient.
like he was suddenly at a crossroads,
كان فجأة عند مفترق الطريق،
he'd be able to see the path,
gleaming white desert.
had erased all familiarity.
what made my life worth living,
help to do so."
for my colleagues in health care.
المهنة بشكل أكبر.
have clarity around their prognoses
يرون مرضهم بوضوح
but it's especially tough
terminal illnesses like cancer.
how long they have left,
they painted a rosier picture
the possible outcomes of an illness,
النتائج المحتملة لمرضهم،
with those conversations,
immensely helpful with big decisions.
تفيد في إتخاذ القرارات الكبرى.
Paul was not likely to see her grow up.
تعني أن (بول) لن يراها تكبر.
of being there for her birth
to say goodbye to a child
means accepting suffering.
جرعات الكيماوي
working as a neurosurgeon,
was totally impossible.
prescribed a stimulant medication
his priorities and his worries.
he was willing to make.
are the best way to ensure
like that "birds and bees" talk
ليس شبيها بحديث "النحل والطيور"
as quickly as possible,
as things change.
to give us answers they didn't have,
أجوبة هم لا يمتلكونها،
through painful choices ...
but his will to live wasn't.
رغبته في العيش ليست موجودة.
means more than just staying alive.
أكثر من مجرد البقاء حيا.
a patient came into my clinic.
with a serious chronic disease.
about her life and her health care,
والرعاية الصحية المقدمة لها،
about their health care preferences.
الرعاية الصحية المفضله لهم.
started their answers with the words
medical treatment,
excessive or unwanted medical treatment.
psychological consequences
and a quarter of ICU doctors
that for some of their patients,
that didn't fit with the person's values.
لا تتفق مع قيم المريض.
your wishes are respected
من أن رغبتك يجب احترامها
if it offered any chance of longer life?
إذا توفرت لك فرصة حياة أطول؟
about the quality of that time,
are thoughtful and brave,
do you want genetic screening?
in a clinic or at home?
في العيادة أو المنزل؟
live the way you want to?
الحياة التي ترغبها؟
a decision in your health care.
that's not right for you.
is stitched with its color."
"لا بأس، سيكون الأمر على ما يرام"
that we could cure his illness.
both joy and sadness at the same time;
بحزن وفرح في نفس الوقت.
and sleepless nights,
run around on the grass.
من العمر تجري حول العشب.
and watch the sunset with our friends.
و شاهدت غروب الشمس مع أصدقائي.
meditation have helped a lot.
I get to watch our daughter grow.
about what I'm going to say to her
range of experience --
despite suffering.
isn't always a battle.
different than we thought.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Lucy Kalanithi - CaregiverLucy Kalanithi is dedicated to helping others choose the health care and end-of-life experiences that best align with their values.
Why you should listen
Stanford internist Lucy Kalanithi is the widow of neurosurgeon and writer Paul Kalanithi, who was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer at age 36. Shortly after his diagnosis, Paul wrote about his transformation from doctor to patient, and explored what makes life worth living in the face of death in his poignant memoir When Breath Becomes Air. After Paul died in 2015, Lucy completed his memoir and wrote its powerful epilogue. As a caregiver for her husband during all phases of his illness and as a practicing physician and a thinker on healthcare value, Lucy is dedicated to helping others choose the health care and end-of-life experiences that best align with their values. She lives in the Bay Area with her and Paul’s daughter, Cady.
Lucy Kalanithi | Speaker | TED.com