GRATITUDE

Eighty-six year old "Jim" suffers from prostate cancer that has spread throughout his body. Jim has lost over forty pounds as he has little appetite. He gets tired easily and is sleeping a lot more. Through all of this, he continues to smile and have a positive attitude about his life.

Jim lives with his wife, "Mary". They have been married over sixty-four years. They have four adult children who are devoted to their parents. The family is very close and see each other often.

Jim has accepted his dying without any fears, although does not want to die in pain. I spoke with him about hospices' focus on comfort care. I added that our nurses work so well with the physicians doing whatever is needed so that patients do not have pain or discomfort. Hospice is all about quality of life and comfort care.

In addition to having cancer, Jim suffers from macular degeneration; an eye disease which impacts his vision. Jim can see enough to walk around his home, but not much more. He says the biggest loss is not being able to read or write. He also misses doing "handy-man" chores around the home. It frustrates him that he cannot see well enough to even use a screwdriver.

Their home is very clean and orderly in a modest way. One can see Jim and Mary's attention to detail. One of Jim's favorite hobbies was photography. Displayed around his home are amazing photos he took during their travels. Jim used to enjoy his dark room where he developed his own prints. Jim spoke of all the losses he has had because of his vision.

Jim and Mary have a strong Christian faith. They are very involved in their church community which gives them tremendous support. Jim has had the opportunity to speak about his dying with his church men's group. The following poem was triggered from that conversation. Jim is an amazing teacher to us all.


GRATITUDE

He has an upbeat personality.
He sees life in a positive way.
Not much can get him down.
Even the cancer that is forever there.

The cancer has slowed him down some.
He sleeps more as he is getting weaker.
He is not eating much these days
as his appetite is all but gone.

He accepts all of this with grace
which is something to admire.
He is turning to his faith though,
to overcome his biggest struggle.

His eyes have deceived him.
He can no longer see.
He misses reading and writing,
but most of all his hobby of taking photos.
Many beautifully displayed around his home.

His strong faith continues to sustain him
while he grieves the loss of his sight.
When negative feelings filter in,
he focuses on his blessings.
Changing his mindset from an attitude
to gratitude.