I am not sure if I have told you that I started an internship as a hospital Chaplin. With that said I have the feeling that my experiences in the hospital will have a strong effect on the questions I will raise for Monday question of the week in the months to come. This week is an example of that.
How do you know when its time to stop fighting, allowing someone the right to die and allowing hope for a medical miracle to remain? Is it even possible?
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
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4 comments:
Miranda,
I have served as a chaplain on a number of occasions, including twice as a hospice chaplain. I found that my attitude quickly changed from hoping for a medical miracle to seeing death (and new life in Christ) as the true miracle.
Blessings on your work!
Here's one of the entries I wrote on this topic as my stepmother died of cancer. I am not a fan of the usual approach in our culture: exhaustion of all medical options equals heroism. Death, as Alan Jones has said, is not a medical event. However, I must humbly leave room for everything that I don't know about it. (And also, I don't know how to do a link in comments - sorry).
http://journals.aol.com/oceanmrc/MidlifeMatters/entries/2005/01/12/part-ii-to-be-or-not-to-be/1294
I think you let the person who is dying take the lead and respect his/her wishes.
If that person is no longer able to communicate, then by all means pray, but pray for God's will to be done and prepare yourself for that.
You might note that chaplain is spelled with an "a"... without the "a" it is the spelling of the famous actor Charlie Chaplin. I hope your experience is one of spiritual growth.
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