Lucy Kalanithi: What makes life worth living in the face of death
לוסי קלאניתי: מה הופך חיים למשמעותיים כשעומדים בפני המוות
Lucy Kalanithi is dedicated to helping others choose the health care and end-of-life experiences that best align with their values. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer,
אובחן עם סרטן ריאות שלב 4,
המשמעות של בסדר".
medical students at Yale.
לרפואה בייל.
in the trunk of his car,
חליפת גורילה,
the care he took with his patients.
כלפי המטופלים שלו.
the experience of illness
of a heart that had ceased beating.
שהפסיק לפעום.
to approach suffering together.
as a neurosurgeon
and a cough that wouldn't go away.
in Paul's lungs and in his bones.
בריאותיו ובעצמותיו.
with devastating diagnoses;
for 22 months.
through really tough medical decisions.
עם החלטות רפואיות קשות מאוד.
into the hospital for the last time
בפעם האחרונה,
as a caregiver --
deepened what that meant.
his identity during his illness,
במהלך המחלה שלו,
bouncing back to where you were before,
בו היית קודם לכן,
the hard stuff isn't hard.
approach it together,
Paul said to me after his diagnosis was,
אחרי שאובחן, היה:
we get to say anything out loud.
מותר להגיד כל דבר בקול רם.
to be exactly what we needed.
היא בדיוק מה שהיינו צריכים.
just keep saying things out loud.
an advance directive is an act of love --
זה אקט של אהבה --
a tangible part of our love story.
לחלק מוחשי מסיפור האהבה שלנו.
accept his diagnosis.
in devastating situations,
במצבים נוראיים,
and uncertainty of a serious illness.
של מחלה רצינית.
against lung cancer,
months to a few years left to live.
חודשים עד מספר שנים לחיות.
from doctor to patient.
like he was suddenly at a crossroads,
עומד לפתע בצומת דרכים,
he'd be able to see the path,
gleaming white desert.
had erased all familiarity.
what made my life worth living,
לבעלי משמעות,
help to do so."
כדי לעשות זאת".
for my colleagues in health care.
את הקולגות שלי מתחום הבריאות.
have clarity around their prognoses
בנוגע לפרוגנוזה שלהם
but it's especially tough
terminal illnesses like cancer.
how long they have left,
נותר להם לחיות,
they painted a rosier picture
the possible outcomes of an illness,
את התוצאות האפשריות של מחלה,
with those conversations,
immensely helpful with big decisions.
הועיל ביותר בקבלת החלטות גדולות.
Paul was not likely to see her grow up.
היתה שפול כנראה לא יוכל לראות אותה גדלה.
of being there for her birth
להיות שם במהלך הלידה שלה
to say goodbye to a child
means accepting suffering.
working as a neurosurgeon,
was totally impossible.
prescribed a stimulant medication
his priorities and his worries.
והדאגות שלו.
he was willing to make.
are the best way to ensure
like that "birds and bees" talk
כמו השיחה על מאיפה באים ילדים,
as quickly as possible,
as things change.
to give us answers they didn't have,
תשובות שלא היו להם,
through painful choices ...
but his will to live wasn't.
means more than just staying alive.
היא מעבר ללהישאר בחיים.
a patient came into my clinic.
with a serious chronic disease.
about her life and her health care,
ועל הטיפול הרפואי שלה,
הטיפול הפליאטיבי שלי
about their health care preferences.
העדפות הטיפול הרפואי שלהם.
started their answers with the words
medical treatment,
excessive or unwanted medical treatment.
מיותר או בלתי רצוי.
psychological consequences
הפסיכולוגיות האמיתיות
and a quarter of ICU doctors
ורבע מרופאי החייאה
that for some of their patients,
שחלק מהמטופלים שלהם
that didn't fit with the person's values.
your wishes are respected
שהמשאלות שלכם יכובדו
if it offered any chance of longer life?
אם הן יתנו סיכוי לחיים ארוכים יותר?
about the quality of that time,
are thoughtful and brave,
do you want genetic screening?
האם את מעוניינת בבדיקות גנטיות?
in a clinic or at home?
live the way you want to?
בדרך שאתם רוצים?
a decision in your health care.
that's not right for you.
is stitched with its color."
that we could cure his illness.
both joy and sadness at the same time;
וגם את העצב, באותו הזמן,
and sleepless nights,
run around on the grass.
and watch the sunset with our friends.
וצופה בשקיעה עם חברים שלנו.
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