The role of doctors in both the treatment of cancer patients and their families plays a critical role in helping both the patient and their family deal with the stress, burden, and, in some cases, grief during and after treatment. This is evident in Jerome Groopman’s novel, The Measure of Our Days, especially in the story of Matt. Throughout this story, Groopman demonstrates this role, as both he and Dr. Samuels give Billy hope during Matt’s cancer treatments, and aid him in accepting Matt’s inevitable death.
Throughout Matt’s first treatment, Groopman and Samuels provide a source of comfort and hope, allowing Billy to combine both his faith in God and his faith in the doctors, and their ability to help Matt heal, as when he first hears Matt’s diagnosis, where he “pressed his hands together in a powerful upward arc and begged God to make Matt better” (Groopman 91). This shows how strongly Billy emphasizes faith in his life, providing a solid ground for him as Matt makes his way through treatment. This strong faith is what carried Billy through Matt’s cancer treatments; he continued to rely on God, but also placed a large amount of faith in his doctors, which he carries into Matt’s diagnosis of HIV. Towards the end of Matt’s life, Billy clings to his faith, where he “affirmed once again that [the doctors] were God’s agents of healing, and that with His guidance, anything was possible” (Groopman 107). This shows how Billy is desperate to cling to any sort of way that will help Matt survive, however, Groopman’s role as Matt’s doctor begins to shift to one of both friendship and the bearer of reality for Billy. As Matt declines in health, Billy clings to the small hope that he will survive. He stubbornly holds onto this hope, and faith in both Groopman and Samuels. …show more content…
As the reality of Matt’s prognosis begins to set in, Billy shrinks further away from it. His denial and refusal to recofnize the reality of the situation provides for an opportunity for intervention on the part of Groopman. Groopman knows the reality of the situation, and takes Billy as his “patient” as well as Matt, because he knows that it will be easier for Billy in the long run to acknowledge Matt’s death before it happens, stating “we feared that if… his denial continued to the end, he would be shattered by the… blow death strikes in its finality” (Groopman 107). Groopman uses this fear as a factor in his motivation for aiding Billy in his acceptance. This practice of “treating” family members of cancer patients is not a practice which solely Groopman usess— terminal illnesses take a huge toll on both the patient and their family, requiring constant support and consultation from the doctors. The role of the doctor in this situation becomes one of both a source of comfort and a reality check, especially in terminal pediatric patients’ cases, like Matt. In the end, Groopman’s role for Billy transitions from that of a doctor to more of a friend and comforter to Billy. This role which Groopman adopts helps to avoid the phenomenon described in an article published in 2014, where “families often report feeling abandoned by their health care team once the death occurs, creating an additional burden of experiencing the simultaneous loss of their child and their physician whom they have come to rely on not
Throughout Matt’s first treatment, Groopman and Samuels provide a source of comfort and hope, allowing Billy to combine both his faith in God and his faith in the doctors, and their ability to help Matt heal, as when he first hears Matt’s diagnosis, where he “pressed his hands together in a powerful upward arc and begged God to make Matt better” (Groopman 91). This shows how strongly Billy emphasizes faith in his life, providing a solid ground for him as Matt makes his way through treatment. This strong faith is what carried Billy through Matt’s cancer treatments; he continued to rely on God, but also placed a large amount of faith in his doctors, which he carries into Matt’s diagnosis of HIV. Towards the end of Matt’s life, Billy clings to his faith, where he “affirmed once again that [the doctors] were God’s agents of healing, and that with His guidance, anything was possible” (Groopman 107). This shows how Billy is desperate to cling to any sort of way that will help Matt survive, however, Groopman’s role as Matt’s doctor begins to shift to one of both friendship and the bearer of reality for Billy. As Matt declines in health, Billy clings to the small hope that he will survive. He stubbornly holds onto this hope, and faith in both Groopman and Samuels. …show more content…
As the reality of Matt’s prognosis begins to set in, Billy shrinks further away from it. His denial and refusal to recofnize the reality of the situation provides for an opportunity for intervention on the part of Groopman. Groopman knows the reality of the situation, and takes Billy as his “patient” as well as Matt, because he knows that it will be easier for Billy in the long run to acknowledge Matt’s death before it happens, stating “we feared that if… his denial continued to the end, he would be shattered by the… blow death strikes in its finality” (Groopman 107). Groopman uses this fear as a factor in his motivation for aiding Billy in his acceptance. This practice of “treating” family members of cancer patients is not a practice which solely Groopman usess— terminal illnesses take a huge toll on both the patient and their family, requiring constant support and consultation from the doctors. The role of the doctor in this situation becomes one of both a source of comfort and a reality check, especially in terminal pediatric patients’ cases, like Matt. In the end, Groopman’s role for Billy transitions from that of a doctor to more of a friend and comforter to Billy. This role which Groopman adopts helps to avoid the phenomenon described in an article published in 2014, where “families often report feeling abandoned by their health care team once the death occurs, creating an additional burden of experiencing the simultaneous loss of their child and their physician whom they have come to rely on not