Holding My Hand
Catherine Ollerhead
This piece depicts the last time I saw my Grandad, before he passed away several years ago. The hands are moulded out of clay, and clay roses embellish the frame, representing one of my Grandad’s favourite pass-times of pruning his roses. One of the last things he said to me was that he wanted me to hold his hand. I did this for several hours and took this photograph to remember that time we shared together. He passed away the next day peacefully. Since this time, I have found myself holding the hand of several patients at different points of their lives: a woman facing complications in her labour, a man after he was told he had a malignant, terminal condition, a woman at the end of her life with no one else to be with her, the list goes on.
Medicine can do incredible things but, in my experience, it is most effective when provided alongside genuine human care and holding someone’s hand can be a powerful way of showing your solidarity with them. Finding the perfect balance between medicine and care is what I aspire to achieve in my career.
Winner of the Medicine Humanities and Creative Arts Prize, March 2020.
Bristol School of Medicine, Year Four
Bristol School of Medicine, Year Four
I found this piece incredibly moving as it is such a personal story, and a beautiful way to remember a family member. It is interesting to me that whilst it is clearly a story very close to the artist’s heart, it is also a feeling that can be understood and shared by many people. It reminded me that even as a first year medical student with little clinical skills/training, we are able to help people by offering support, even in a way as simple as holding someone’s hand. Whilst the artwork is made as a reflection of a non-clinical story, it also reminded me of the privileged position we are in as medical students – seeing people during their most vulnerable moments and being able to provide this support to them even if they are not our own friends and family. I think that at times medical students can feel they do not have much to offer during work experience since they have less knowledge; but this artwork is a clear reminder that medicine is a combination of both medical science and care. It is important to remember that we are still able to contribute, and that the best doctor will be able to provide not only the treatment, but also be able comfort and reassure a patient.
I personally find this piece a valuable reminder of the small things or gestures we as medical students can do that can make a big difference during the upsetting moments of our patients or loved ones. Be it as simple as holding their hand, it can go a long way in showing the person that they are cared for during whatever tough time they are currently going through. The balance between medicine and care is particularly enlightening to ponder upon since there have been plenty of times where I have focused solely on the educational aspect of being a good doctor, whereas in actual fact the best doctors possess that knowledge whilst also being able to effectively care for and comfort the patient. In certain situations as you have explained yourself, sometimes it is important to simply show the patient that you are there for them and convey that genuine care when they are feeling at their most vulnerable.
Questioning the balance between professionalism and empathy, this piece depicts the importance of simple caring gestures in medicine and the power they hold. The photo depicts an extremely precious moment during the artists life and I feel that such a simple photo holds colossal emotional significance: representing how small acts of care can have a significant effect on patients and their wellbeing. The artist talks about a very personal moment regarding the passing of her grandad and states how he simply asked his granddaughter to hold his hand for several hours. This would have been extremely comforting for the artist’s grandad and held huge importance to him. The artist goes on to describe how as a medical student she has experienced times where she has held the hands of patients during extremely distressing times. Therefore, this shows how she has continued to offer the same comfort to those under their care; consequently, offering a similarly significant act of care as described before. This is extremely significant to the modern doctor, as I feel there is a fine balance between empathy but also acting as a professional within their role. It reminds medical professionals to remember that providing support to, and showing genuine care for, a patient has a massive impact on patients: something that could quite easily be lost when working in a professional environment and with large workloads. Overall, this piece goes further than describing a precious moment but reminds us as medical students to remember to go out of our way to show genuine support and empathy to patients, and shows how this can have just as if not more of a significance than the medical care we can offer.