False Hope
Carl Barker
He had been working the past few weekends and this was the first time he had seen her since finding out she had cancer, that she was dying. The doctors had told them that she may have as little as three months to live, six at the most. His friends had tried to reassure him by saying doctors can be wrong and she could live for a lot longer than 6 months. He had hoped that this would be true for his nana. He wanted a chance to show her how much she meant to him before it was too late. He wanted her to know she was loved before she was gone.
He sat there looking at her, reminiscing about all the times he had visited her in the past. She had always been a strong, independent, straight-talking woman who seemed hard-hearted to some, but always had her ways of letting us know how much she cared.
She was smiling and seemed quite happy, but he could sense that she wasn’t herself – there was confusion and fear in her eyes. He talked to her, desperately trying to keep it as normal and relaxed a conversation as always – this was difficult for him. Her hearing had rapidly deteriorated, but the things he wanted to say to her couldn’t be carelessly shouted at her. Before he left, he told her he loved her – she had to know – but she didn’t reply, she hadn’t heard.
This was the last time he ever saw her; she died during the night later that week. His friends were right that doctors could be wrong.
It is therefore important for doctors to be as truthful as possible and refrain from giving false hope. Similarly, it is also important to acknowledge that doctors can simply be wrong and that I, as a doctor, will be wrong.
I found this this piece to be an incredibly accurate description of the all feelings you have when you know that you’re running out of time with someone. It’s not just the physical things that you notice about them, it’s the sense that the person who is sitting right in front of you has been gradually pulled away until they’re nearly gone and it’s all the words that you want to say to them that just sitting on the tip of your tongue until all the comes out is ‘I love you’.
The idea that prognosis is telling a community, not just a person has been presented beautifully and when combined with the sense that it’s okay for a doctor to be wrong about a patient’s prognosis shows the level of understanding the author has.
I found this piece of art to be really poignant and was fascinated by the bundle of emotions it is able to encapsulate in its short passage of words. I think it describes really well the concept of not knowing how much time you have left with those you love, and not knowing if they know how much they matter to you. The piece also carries an important message about the weight of the words of healthcare professionals when it comes to prognosis, and the knock on effects these can have for the person, their family, and their friends. It shows how when doctors treat a patient, they are also having a profound impact on so many more people around the person they are caring for.
This piece of art really touched me. I was first captivated by the photograph which seems to convey so much feeling in such a simple and pure way. The prose also reflected my own experiences of someone passing away. There is such a change in your perception of a person. You can’t help but remember them in life- as they once were- physically and mentally, only to then feel unable to reconcile that memory with what circumstance obliges you to experience in the present. The prose conveys this same feeling to me.
This prose conveys a plethora of messages such the sense of urgency to tell your loved ones how you feel about them, how grateful you are to them and to reminisce all the memories that you have had together. Another important message is when you’ve known a person for a really long time and you begin to notice a drastic change in their behaviour it is as if that that person is already gone before they’ve physically left. To conclude, death doesn’t just have an affect on one person it affects a whole community of people and it is vital that we understand that doctors don’t know everything and that they can be wrong.
I found the accompanying story very insightful into how hard it is to approach more serious conversations with family members and feeling sad if you cannot broach these topics when you are aware that there is a short time for you to be able to do so. The black and white image really highlights the weight of this feeling in my opinion.
This piece really hit me. Just thinking about if that was grandparents and I was running out of time to spend with them, I would be devastated. There’s always so much you want to say but are unable to (ie from it not being the right timing, language barriers etc) and it just is really upsetting. The fact that the grandson could see his nana deteriorating slowly but is unable to do much about it also is upsetting – being stuck in a position of being unable to do anything whilst seeing someone in pain.
The piece really stood out, because of the simple yet deep wording it has. I think it is something that a lot of people can resonate with. We’ve all been in positions where we’d wish we would have said more or spoken up about something. Whether it be – sharing your feelings or defending the person you knew was being done wrong. The doctor being wrong in the opposite way you’d hope (so his nana dying before the 3 months, instead of after 6 months) perfectly conveys that you should say things you want while you can as time is not guaranteed in life.
This particularly artwork attracted me because of the image used and how I could relate to wanting to say things but not being able to for different reasons. However, after reading the piece of writing I was more intrigued in it than the picture itself. The student was able to display the emotions of a relative of the deceased so clearly. Reading this made me recall of a relative of mine that passed away and I felt as if I was the one speaking in the writing.
Although this is a very simple picture. To the viewer is speaks volumes.
It could mean many different things to many people. It could be depression to someone, social anxiety etc. However for the individual it was from a place of grief. He was learning and processing that he’s going to lose someone so close to him, that he’s known all his life. To then come to terms with that and accepting he only has three months is difficult enough. He then has to leave without his nana hearing that he loved her. Little did he know it would be the last time he was going to see her.
It shows the importance of explaining things and not giving false hope to families. This is because it not only effects the patient but everyone important around them. It is not just the patients future but their families too.
Within this piece of prose, the concept that what a doctor communicates with their patient can have a resounding effect on a large community and not just the patient themselves really resonated with me. The importance of a prognosis should not be understated. Within the passage the doctors’ prognosis was wrong, this helps show that there are times when doctors make mistakes as they themselves are human, and making these mistakes is a challenge I will have to overcome in the future. Another angle of this passage that I found interesting is how “He” had missed his last few visits due to work, however, if he had known that they would have been his last few I am sure he would have made it work. This shows how we often value the wrong things and don’t realise what or who we had until they’re gone.
This art presented a strong message of the importance of the doctor’s words on not only for the patient, but the connections that the patients have. It emphasises how it is important not to provide false hope to patients as this information could be spread to their loved ones and may feel sudden negative emotions if the death of the patient is not how the doctor stated. It tells us that the idea of the prognosis is for patients to have a guide of how their life may be like but not expected to be accurate. Overall, it is important that doctors understand the weight of their own words on others and be able to allow patients to understand that their prognosis won’t be very accurate as their maybe changes to patients’ diet and lifestyle.
Through an emotive comparison of the writer’s interactions with their Nana before and after her diagnosis, the piece highlights the massive extent of anxiety and distress that sickness causes, not only to the patient, but also to their family and loved ones. I think that the final sentence perfectly conveys the main subject of the piece: the death of a loved one will come as a shock. It displays how there will always be things you wish that you’d said to them, or done with them, therefore we should cherish our time with one another whilst we can.
The picture drew me in as it is a simple, but drastically relatable quote for many.
The story that followed was moving and accurately highlighted that not only will the patient be affected by a prognosis/diagnosis, but the loved ones will suffer from it too. Loved ones will see the deterioration, notice the spark be lost and fragility increase. Nothing can prepare you for this, in this case, the prognosis was longer than the time his Nana had left – showing the importance of demonstrating/telling people how you feel before it is too late.
Additionally, the ending drew attention to the fact that as Doctors we will make mistakes, so the best we can do is show compassion and have transparency with our patients.
The picture being the first thing I saw was quite a short yet poignant statement. The quote in the picture is so versatile in the sense that it could be used almost universally in all walks of life.
The prose written next to it just highlights the result of an inaccurate prognosis; it could give family and friends a false sense of hope and it portrays this in a very humane and sobering manner. The prose is written from the perspective of the patient’s grandson, and he felt remorse and regret that he didn’t get to say everything he would’ve wanted to, because he believed he had more time
The final sentence was probably the most heavy hitting, as he uses the assertion from his friends that the doctor could be wrong (with the intention of giving hope to the grandson) and he turns the tables, almost blaming the doctor for their incorrect prognosis stealing time from his nanna.
The picture draws you in as being something that is simple and hits you with so much unexpected emotion, in this case the back and white effect and the book being bound closed seem to make so much more sense as it shows sorrow and burying of emotions. The story is incredibly sad and moving and this price is truly well thought out and insightful.
This picture was super interesting and captivating – I personally think it shows a plethora of emotions, depicting the depth of human emotions. It highlights how medical professionals have the ability to be wrong and that often many words are left unsaid. This isn’t due to a lack of empathy or care but rather because there may not be enough time or that it may not feel appropriate in that time. It’s important that everyone is understanding. The book being shut shows suppression and the worn out nature of it shows how it has been used quite frequently.
This piece attracted me since it seemed so straightforward yet stimulated a number of deeper emotions. The phrase is relatable to a lot of people since many have found themselves in a position where they wish they could have said a few more words to a loved one who has passed away. This piece is extremely well though out and portrays the emotions of guilt, regret, and sadness in a very meaningful way.
This is a really powerful piece of writing as so many can empathize and relate to it, having had relatives pass away in the past. I think the message that the nan is ‘not quite the same’ being repeated is really significant as it shows that patients are often very different when ill than they are in their day to day lives. They are often scared, in pain and this can mean patients behave very differently in hospitals than they do in their day to day lives. I think this is really impactful and emphasises just how important it is for doctors to be kind and remember that they only get to see a small window into patients lives. Additionally, I think that the nana’s hearing deteriorating is very important and symbolises how difficult it can be to communicate with patients and people when they are unwell and suffering no matter how well you knew them and were able to communicate with them before. For relatives especially this could be really difficult as they may struggle to console the relative and thus may struggle to find comfort in talking and visiting them as it just makes them feel helpless. Finally, the writing is very impactful as it talks about how doctors are often wrong. I think this is really important as it shows how little power doctors have over death, they can only estimate and make predictions but in reality things often never go ‘as planned’. I think many people struggle with this unknown and never knowing when things are going to happen, meaning they are constantly on edge or potentially feel to comfortable and think they have more time than they do.