Patients described the sorrow brought upon them due to the cancer, and yet in the same conversation they recounted their capacity for growth and happiness. Apart from the physiological struggles, the patients were suffering from emotional isolation. A disease not only carries health implications for the patient, but often causes estrangement from their families and friends. I sympathized with them as they struggled with the nausea and fatigue that came with the treatment, but most importantly, I recognized their immeasurable desire to persevere. I found myself staying much later than my scheduled shifts, but always leaving with a different perception and awareness of the patients’ determination to
Patients described the sorrow brought upon them due to the cancer, and yet in the same conversation they recounted their capacity for growth and happiness. Apart from the physiological struggles, the patients were suffering from emotional isolation. A disease not only carries health implications for the patient, but often causes estrangement from their families and friends. I sympathized with them as they struggled with the nausea and fatigue that came with the treatment, but most importantly, I recognized their immeasurable desire to persevere. I found myself staying much later than my scheduled shifts, but always leaving with a different perception and awareness of the patients’ determination to