If the end is near, how many of us would want to know about it?
Working in the hospital, it is kind of often that we have requests from the family members in not letting the patients to know that their prognosis is bad or even the fact that they are only left with days to live. To the extreme, some of the patients doesn't even have a clue that they have cancers just because the family members think that by letting them to know of their condition, they will "DEFINITELY lost all hopes" (which seriously, I don't know how they did it as once treatment started, the patient would definitely know or suspect something; or unless the patient know about it but also see what the family want and just pretend that he/she is naive from knowing that. I am quite sure you would sense something when your body condition is changing right? Who wouldn't?).
I guess that is just a part of Asian culture?
Seriously speaking, if it is me that is nearing to the end, I would want to know about it. Knowing it might not change the condition for sure, but it could help me to give me time to do closure to those that I love, and for those that loved me. If you were to ask me what I would do, frankly speaking, I am kinda clueless. Yet I know for sure I would wanna do something.
Still remember of watching one of the local programmes that talked about a young woman who had breast cancer and she was dying. In her very final days, she started writing journals for her young children so that they could read them when she was gone.
May be, that is what I would do.
Writing letters to those that have filled my life with colors...
Journals for my love ones... So that they know that I am still existing, though in the other forms that they might not be able to see.
=)
And hopefully, that could bring some peace to them.
