Promyelocytic Leukemia In My Sister's Keeper

Promyelocytic leukemia is a type of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), a cancer of the white blood cells caused by a translocation between chromosomes 15 and 17. Promyelocytic leukemia is shown to cause symptoms of fatigue, easy bruising and bleeding and abdominal discomfort due to enlargement of the spleen. [1] The median age for this disease is approximately 30–40 years old. [2] This is a fast-growing type of leukemia which is a chronic illness. In My Sister’s Keeper, a 2009 film based on the novel, Kate Fitzgerald was diagnosed with promyelocytic leukemia. Her younger sister, Anna Fitzgerald was conceived intentionally as a savior sister. After all the operations, she was asked to donate one of her kidneys to her sister who was facing a fatal …show more content…
National Center for Health Statistics, a chronic disease lasts for three months or more. The uncertainties brought up by critical illness will expose the patient’s family to a high level of psychological stress. From the family’s perspective, it is like living with a time bomb. When the family first encounters a serious disease, typically they will feel helpless followed by sorrow and grief. This is an expected and natural reaction as we all care for our loved ones. Sometimes the stress may lead to a manic episode, which causes a person to behave recklessly. In the case of Jesse, the brother, he felt guilty because he was not a donor match for Kate. His parents neglected his emotional needs too. Soon, he had nowhere to express his depression and resentments. Thus, he used fire as an outlet for his feelings and as a way to gain attention from his father. He set fire to abandoned buildings using self-made explosives. This showed his rebellious personality under stress. He was easily depressed due to his family background. As an evidence, he thought of committing suicide while driving down the road. Besides, Anna felt that her parents only love her when they need her blood or organ. Her distress collapsed into a full blown despair and she decided to file a lawsuit to protect her own right. If it is unfortunately one has a family member with chronic disease, it is inevitable that parents tend to focus more on the child with a chronic illness. In my opinion, …show more content…
If we compare a person who dies unexpectedly in an accident and a person who has a long term illness, the latter actually makes the family more mentally prepared. Illness brings out the concept of centrifugal versus centripetal, which either push the family members apart or pull them together and this brings an important impact on the existing hierarchy within a family.[6] Since chronic disease usually lasts for a long term, patients with the life-threatening illness will always worry and fear of being a burden on their family. By thinking of how the illness affects their loved ones, it influences their decision about healthcare and their perspectives towards death.[7] In the story, no one expected that Kate was actually the one who asked Anna to sue their parents for emancipation. Out of sisterly love, Kate did not want her sister to go through another transplant operation to save her. Kate believed that she was going to pass away soon so it was meaningless to bring an unnecessary suffer to Anna. This shows a close relationship between them and their sister bond is indestructible. Anna sacrificed her childhood to make it possible for Kate to survive. Kate appreciated her unconditional love. However, in the end of the story, Anna passed away