Summary Of 'How People Prevail In The Face Of Illness'

Claire Mameli
The differences in treatment outcomes due to the amount of hope a patient held in “The Anatomy of Hope: How People Prevail in the Face of Illness,” was a perspective I had not yet ruminated. The author, Dr. Groopman, retold the stories of multiple patients suffering from cancer, each showing that hope can have a positive outcome on treatment. This account has shown me that death is inherently a part of life, but by instilling genuine hope in a patient and their family, their remaining days can be affected positively. One of Dr. Groopman’s patients in whom this outcome occurred was with Barbara, where she accepted her condition but never yielded. Rather, Barbara found a purpose for her remaining days by improving her relationship
with her granddaughter. It is never known when a person is to leave this earth, so as a PA I will not lose sight of such hope, as it might be the solution in a person’s recovery. Though Dr. Groopman could not identify what truly triggers hope, he was able to observe the realm of its power. Some people have already decided their consequence, just as the first patient Dr. Groopman discussed, Esther. Because she believed that she deserved her illness, she lacked any incentive to hope for recovery. I may see this situation as a PA, and I will remember that although a patient may not see any point to hope, it is still vital to attempt instilling hopefulness. In turn, my hope would be that my hope would spark hope in that patient, just like the enzyme in a chemical reaction. Although it was his mission to understand how people find such hope in adversity, it was remarkable to see how easily Dr. Groopman succumbed to his own medical condition. I found this upsetting because he had worked so hard to understand hope, yet when he was faced with the choice of being hopeful, he simply retreated and let his pain from his condition take over. Nevertheless, his hope was reinstated through a painful therapy prescribed by a physician who was optimistic in Dr. Groopman’s capabilities. This reiterates that infusing hope is an active process, not only mentally but also physically. After this experience, Dr. Groopman didn’t lose hope again, but rather pushed to continue his research and education in hope. He went as far as to finding a connection between the mind and body, explaining that hope releases certain hormones that make a person feel better. Through Dr.
Groopman, it became apparent that it is a struggle to harmonize truth and hope. It was from this that I have learned the difference between true and false hope. As a younger physician, Dr. Groopman withheld many aspects of his patient’s condition leading to the patient and her daughter to believe in type of fabricated hope. However, this route proved to be dishonest, leaving the patient and her daughter furious that he had not been completely truthful. Taking the reverse angle and expressing the truth in a more straightforward manner, Dr. Groopman learned that his patient lived in misery for her remaining time. I realize that it is a complicated task when attempting to inform a patient that they suffer from a debilitating illness because there is no way to know what the reaction may be. As a PA, I will pay attention to the emotional cues a patient is signaling and attempt to delicately provide the patient with an outline of their condition and all of the associated treatments in an encouraging manner. I will not withhold or deny certain treatments to any patient because it is ethically wrong to deny treatment to a patient. I feel it is then an inside job for that patient when deciding whether they will actively infuse hope in themselves, but as a PA I will never give up my personal hope as it may be the facilitator in my patient’s faith. Lastly, Dr. Groopman recounting these interactions shows that the same incidents I will face as a PA will shape me to
become a better person and permit me to guide my patients hopefully.