Lucy Kalanithi: What makes life worth living in the face of death
露西.卡萊尼希: 面對死亡,生命的意義為何?
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,
第四期肺癌的幾天後,
「沒事」意味著什麼。
我們都是耶魯醫學系新生。
medical students at Yale.
而且相當風趣。
in the trunk of his car,
the care he took with his patients.
因為他是如此細心地照顧病人;
the experience of illness
因心臟停止的心電圖而哭泣,
of a heart that had ceased beating.
to approach suffering together.
as a neurosurgeon
他的體重開始下降,
and a cough that wouldn't go away.
in Paul's lungs and in his bones.
with devastating diagnoses;
for 22 months.
through really tough medical decisions.
學習做出每個艱難的抉擇。
into the hospital for the last time
和施行心肺復甦術。
as a caregiver --
deepened what that meant.
加深了照護提供者的意義。
his identity during his illness,
bouncing back to where you were before,
不代表恢復到本來的位置,
the hard stuff isn't hard.
approach it together,
他跟我說:
Paul said to me after his diagnosis was,
我猜我們現在什麼都能坦白說囉。
we get to say anything out loud.
to be exactly what we needed.
just keep saying things out loud.
an advance directive is an act of love --
其實是一種愛的表現,
a tangible part of our love story.
accept his diagnosis.
in devastating situations,
許多病人處在這種狀況,
and uncertainty of a serious illness.
against lung cancer,
months to a few years left to live.
保羅只剩幾個月到幾年可活。
from doctor to patient.
醫生到病人的角色轉變。
like he was suddenly at a crossroads,
he'd be able to see the path,
gleaming white desert.
had erased all familiarity.
抹去了所有熟悉的一切。
what made my life worth living,
help to do so."
for my colleagues in health care.
have clarity around their prognoses
but it's especially tough
可能無法治癒的疾病。
terminal illnesses like cancer.
how long they have left,
醫生都沒有確切的答案。
they painted a rosier picture
the possible outcomes of an illness,
with those conversations,
immensely helpful with big decisions.
有正確的資訊才能做出好的決定。
Paul was not likely to see her grow up.
保羅不太可能陪伴孩子長大。
of being there for her birth
to say goodbye to a child
means accepting suffering.
working as a neurosurgeon,
以腦神經外科醫生的身分工作,
was totally impossible.
都認為絕對不可能的。
prescribed a stimulant medication
his priorities and his worries.
他最重要的事與他所擔心的事。
he was willing to make.
are the best way to ensure
like that "birds and bees" talk
as quickly as possible,
答覆會依時空背景不同而異,
as things change.
試圖給予不確定的答案,
to give us answers they didn't have,
through painful choices ...
給予保羅諮商……
but his will to live wasn't.
但他的求生意志並沒有改變。
means more than just staying alive.
不僅僅意味著軀體的存活。
a patient came into my clinic.
with a serious chronic disease.
about her life and her health care,
「同情與選擇」在研究中
about their health care preferences.
started their answers with the words
medical treatment,
excessive or unwanted medical treatment.
過多或有違自身意願的治療。
psychological consequences
與其家屬心理上的影響。
and a quarter of ICU doctors
與二成五的加護病房的醫生
that for some of their patients,
感到痛苦。
that didn't fit with the person's values.
your wishes are respected
他們尊重你的心願,
if it offered any chance of longer life?
你願意依賴機器過活嗎?
about the quality of that time,
你更在意生活品質?
且勇敢的決定,
are thoughtful and brave,
那都是自己的選擇。
都在選擇我們要的醫療照護。
do you want genetic screening?
in a clinic or at home?
live the way you want to?
能讓你過你想要的生活?
a decision in your health care.
that's not right for you.
你可以說「不」。
is stitched with its color."
這首詩喚起了我對保羅的愛,
that we could cure his illness.
both joy and sadness at the same time;
接納疾病帶來的喜悅與悲傷,
and sleepless nights,
run around on the grass.
and watch the sunset with our friends.
與我們的朋友一起欣賞日落。
meditation have helped a lot.
I get to watch our daughter grow.
我能陪伴我們的女兒成長。
about what I'm going to say to her
我該如何跟她解釋。
range of experience --
despite suffering.
isn't always a battle.
並不一定是場戰爭。
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