This past week a kid that my nephews knew and went to school with got hit by a car. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition but sadly passed away the next day. He was way too young.
Recently someone close to my family was diagnosed with cancer and given a grim prognosis. He is also too young.
I deal with dying people almost every day at work. I see a patient in the ICU on Monday and my trip there on Tuesday reveals an empty bed. I have found cancers in people who didn't know they were sick. I have scanned babies without heartbeats. I have a considerable amount of compassion and gentleness when dealing with these patients. It's my job.
Somehow, though, when it's someone I actually know or family or someone close to me dealing with the reality of death I never know what to say. I don't know how to act and react. I believe in not giving people false hope but I'm not insensitive either. What do you say? What do you do when you're far away and you can't hug them and cry with them? A Hallmark card just isn't going to cut it.
No comments:
Post a Comment