The physician’s duty is not to stave off death or return patients to their old lives, but to take into our arms a patient and family whose lives have disintegrated and work until they can stand back up and face, and make sense of, their own existence.
When Breath Becomes Air is a memoir by Paul Kalanithi, who was a neurosurgeon, husband and father. Paul was diagnosed with lung cancer at the age of 36. He was just completing his residency and was planning a life ahead with his wife Lucy. He came up with the idea of writing a book after the diagnosis, and he died before publishing it.
As a doctor, Paul had witnessed many births and deaths. He’d seen the life of a patient from the other side. He narrates how his life, perspectives and priorities changed during his transition from a doctor to a patient, with the realisation that his time is limited. This is not a story of bravery. He was afraid to die like any other dying patients, and was forced to embrace it without a choice.
Life of Paul Kalanithi is both heartbreaking and beautiful. It made me think about the choices we make during the critical moments of our lives. The book may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I loved it.
The Mirror Dimension 