NYTIMES
By the time she was 38, Dr. Desiree Pardi had become a leading practitioner in palliative care, one of the fastest-growing fields in medicine, counseling terminally ill patients on their choices.
She preached the gentle gospel of her profession, persuading patients to confront their illnesses and get their affairs in order and, above all, ensuring that their last weeks were not spent in unbearable pain. She was convinced that her own experience as a cancer survivor — the disease was first diagnosed when she was 31 — made her perfect for the job.[...]
By the time she was 38, Dr. Desiree Pardi had become a leading practitioner in palliative care, one of the fastest-growing fields in medicine, counseling terminally ill patients on their choices.
She preached the gentle gospel of her profession, persuading patients to confront their illnesses and get their affairs in order and, above all, ensuring that their last weeks were not spent in unbearable pain. She was convinced that her own experience as a cancer survivor — the disease was first diagnosed when she was 31 — made her perfect for the job.[...]
On the one hand, Dr. Pardi spent hundreds of thousands of insurance dollars along with her own money on medical care that was in no way going to save her life while many who have a much greater chance of survival go without care at the insurance company's discretion and die.
ReplyDeleteIn the US, medical care for the wealthy is very different than it is for others.
On the other hand, my father was given a less than 10% chance of surviving his cancer and Blue Cross refused to cover the treatment.
We sued Blue Cross and won the coverage within 2 weeks (you have to have a son who is a famous attorney who argues cases in front of the Supreme Court to win against them before your loved one dies, BTW) and my father fought a terrible terrible battle with his cancer. When my father was offered palliative care, our entire family told the doctors that "they were not G-d and they do not decide who lives and who dies". My father kept fighting, taking the most aggressive chemo. etc.
That was 11 years ago and my father is, B"H healthy and fit today, enjoying life.
No easy answers.
ReplyDeleteSometimes the malach hamaves can be distinguished by his rachamim.
JG: After your outrageous comments defending Muslims, etc. I take everything you say with a heavy dose of salt.
ReplyDelete