This is a New York Times article written by Stanford neurosurgeon Dr. Paul Kalanithi about being diagnosed with advanced-stage lung cancer in 2013.
By the way, one of our local support group members went to undergrad with Paul, and had this to say: “he is such a warm, intelligent and funny person. I’ve been blown away by his story and how he has handled his diagnosis and shared his insights with the world. A true gift.”
What first drew me to the NYT article was the discussion about statistics and prognosis.
Many of our local support group members who are caregivers (myself included) want to know how long their loved one has left to live with a neurological disorder. And many of our local support group members who are those with a neurological diagnosis also want to know how long they have left to live. Not everyone asks these questions but many do.
In reply, I recite the averages based on published research with confirmed (through brain donation) cases. But no one can know what an individual’s prognosis is.
It was interesting to read Dr. Kalanithi’s new take on the prognosis question. After he got a lung cancer diagnosis, he asked the same question of his oncologist:
“But now that I had traversed the line from doctor to patient, I had the same yearning for the numbers all patients ask for. … She flatly refused: ‘No. Absolutely not.’ … At each appointment, a wrestling match began, and she always avoided being pinned down to any sort of number.”
“The path forward would seem obvious, if only I knew how many months or years I had left. Tell me three months, I’d just spend time with family. Tell me one year, I’d have a plan (write that book). Give me 10 years, I’d get back to treating diseases. … My oncologist would say only: ‘I can’t tell you a time. You’ve got to find what matters most to you.'”
Eventually, Dr. Kalanithi has a revised view on the statistics and prognosis question:
“What patients seek is not scientific knowledge doctors hide, but existential authenticity each must find on her own. Getting too deep into statistics is like trying to quench a thirst with salty water. The angst of facing mortality has no remedy in probability.”
As you can probably tell, the entire article is worth reading. Here’s a link to it:
www.nytimes.com/2014/01/25/opinion/sunday/how-long-have-i-got-left.html
SundayReview | Opinion
How Long Have I Got Left?
New York Times
By Paul Kalanithi
Jan. 24, 2014
Robin