RT Book, Section
A1 Frumovitz, Michael
A1 Epner, Daniel E.
A2 Epner, Daniel E.
SR Print(0)
ID 1190086093
T1 The Angel on My Shoulder
T2 Empathy: Real Stories to Inspire and Enlighten Busy Clinicians
YR 2022
FD 2022
PB McGraw Hill LLC
PP New York, NY
SN 9781260473414
LK hemonc.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1190086093
RD 2024/04/17
AB MY  PATIENT  WAS  a  36-year-old  woman  with  recurrent  small  cell  carcinoma  of  the  cervix,  an  incurable  condition.  In  addition  to  facing  the  prospect  of  death,  she  also  faced  the  collateral  damage  that  cancer  invariably  inflicts  on  its  victims’  personal  lives.  “Who  will  care  for  my  children?”  she  asked  through  sobs.  “My  husband  can't  be  trusted.  He's  a  no-good  drunk  and  a  cheat  who  can't  hold  down  a  job.  My  parents  are  divorced  and  my  mother  has  a  bad  heart.”  Then  after  a  brief  pause  to  consider  her  seemingly  hopeless  circumstances,  she  steeled  her  resolve  and  said,  “I'm  not  giving  up!  I  have  to  be  here  for  my  children.”  It  was  late  in  the  afternoon,  at  the  end  of  a  clinic  packed  with  many  other  patients  who  faced  similarly  grave  prognoses.  I  operated  that  morning  from  6:30  until  clinic  began  at  noon,  so  I  was  fried  and  desperately  needed  to  finish  my  work  and  get  home.  Yet  her  plaintive  voice  droned  on,  and  as  it  did,  the  proverbial  angel  on  my  shoulder  engaged  in  mortal  combat  with  the  devil  on  my  other  shoulder.  The  little  angel  stood  tall  and  proud  as  alwaysin  his  starched  white  coat,  clean-shaven  and  composed.  He  said,  “Stay  calm.  Take  a  breath.  Stick  with  it.  Give  her  a  few  more  minutes.”  However,  her  sobbing  showed  no  signs  of  abating,  so  the  little  devil  emerged  from  his  cave  and  crawled  up  on  my  shoulder  wearing  dirty  scrubs  and  a  three-day  beard,  disheveled,  frustrated,  and  exhausted.  He  yelled  in  my  ear,  “I  can't  take  another  minute  of  this.  I  need  to  get  out  of  here  before  I  scream!  What  does  she  expect  me  to  do  or  say  about  her  personal  problems?”  As  I  thought  about  how  to  respond,  I  wondered,  “What  would  Dad  do  in  this  situation?”