HW 25 - Response to Sicko

1) There are many issues with the American health care system, either 1 out of every 6 adults don’t currently have health insurance or those who do have it don’t have coverage that is sufficient enough to really be called “health insurance.” Just because people can apply for health insurance doesn’t mean that they can necessarily gain health insurance. In America all the incentives are towards less Medicare for the people who need it. There are other counties that have health care systems that are considered to be socialist practices; these countries include Canada and France as well as other parts of Europe.

2)

A. Medicare drug act of 2003 and 50 million adults don’t have health insurance

B. the Medicare drug act of 2003 was important to proving his thesis because it described how the health care system got to be broken and how the government officials were aware of what they were doing and didn’t care or weren’t aware of the outcome of their actions regardless of who was harmed. The statistic that there are 50 billion adults without health insurance didn’t support Michael Moore’s argument, that even people with health insurance don’t have security. Although the statistic did cause an immediate reaction of “oh my gosh that can’t be true” Michal Moore was attempting to shock the audience in a way that they “felt” something and were connected and entertained by the movie.

D. the Medicare drug act of 2003 was “intended” to give seniors and the disabled more prescription drug benefits and more choices to those under Medicare, but it really gave the right for drug companies to charge whatever they like for their medication (they are allowed to price gouge). This piece of evidence is legitimate because it attempts to show the audience about how the current healthcare system became the way it is today. The evidence is accurate based on my sources (http://socialistworker.org/2007-2/636/636_04_Killing.shtml) and (https://www.cms.gov/mmaupdate/)

3)Reaction: it was most important to hear the individual experiences, in America, Canada and in Europe. This was helpful because it was brought down to a humane level there wasn’t any big figures or complicated laws involved, it was simply…person A and B can’t pay for their co pays on their medication and now person A must clean bathrooms and spills in grocery stores until he dies. I think the feeling of sadness is the most crucial when watching this movie because the feelings of shock and astonishment of “how could this be happening this is horrible, let’s change this” are very short term where as feeling sadness towards people, with lives and families and thoughts and feelings of their own are more sustained. I don’t think the movie affected my views about the dominant practices in our culture mainly because I couldn’t explain ½ of the concepts Michal Moore spoke about, it was a good movie for the moment but once the moment is over we all go on living our lives the same way we did before we saw Sicko.

HW 24 - Illness & Dying Book, Part 3

My Brother by Jamaica Kincaid published by Farrar Straus and Giroux in 1997

The book I wrote titled My Brother is a biography about how I handled my brother’s struggle with HIV. Throughout his time of being ill I realized new things about myself as well as my family, specifically my mother. My brother eventually died from AIDS, which allowed me to form deeper thoughts about what he meant to me. Through my writing I am indecisive about many of my thoughts, as well as repetitive. I discus my feelings about Antigua and the significance of cultural and physical differences between the Antigua style of health methods and American style of heath methods.

“…the stunted passion fruit-for it was that, stunted, unable to go on, unable to go back, it could not yet die” pg 127 –Devon was like the passion fruit he was “Stunted” and couldn’t go forward to a new part of his life and he couldn’t go backwards because the things prior to his sickness led to him contracting HIV.

“I had been thinking, my brother had just died, my brother has died, but to her I said, as simply as this, “My brother died” and she said as simply as this “I know.” Pg159 – I enjoyed how Jamaica states that saying her brother is dead is simple when she knows it’s simple to say but complicated to process. And she also conveys that the woman’s response was simple which I would have assumed would have been an insult if Jamaica didn’t say the same thing about herself.

“…a plastic bag like the ones given to customers when they buy an expensive suit at a store that carries expensive clothing.” Pg 178 –this reminded me of how Devon was not very rich in his life and neither was his family, I therefore think that the purpose for Jamaica mentioning how the bag looks like one from a fancy store means that he finally found his fortune, even if it was in death.

I enjoyed this book more at the beginning then I did the end, the end seemed way too repetitive. It could be that the “action” (of the brother’s death) had already happened in the middle of the book that the rest of the writing felt a little useless. At times I thought how it was nice to have such a detailed account of a specific individual’s experience, Jamaica really wrote with depth and honesty.

HW 23 - Illness & Dying Book, Part 2

My Brother by Jamaica Kincaid published by Farrar Straus and Giroux in 1997

Précis: Jamaica disuses her relationship with her family and mother, she is very repetitive when she speaking about them clarifying who she feels is really her father and how she feels about her mother and other brothers. Devon becomes increasingly better and develops dreams of having a family and a house of his own. Jamaica reveals that she liked it better when her brother was ill and closer to dying, when he didn’t have any dreams. Her brother soon takes a turn for the worst and dies. Jamaica and her mom go to the cemetery to try to find where Jamaica’s step father is buried but they can’t due to the fact that someone was buried over him.

Insightful quotes:

“He lived in death. Perhaps everyone is living in death, I actually do believe that, but usually it can be seen; in his case it was a death I could see” -88

-this stood out to me because in our culture the dominant discourse is that people aren’t dying or “living in death” until they show physical signs or are told by a medical professional.

“Everyone I told that my brother had just died said how sorry they were… they hoped to convey the sincerity of their feelings; they really were sorry that this person they would not have liked at all. [The words ‘I’m sorry’] are such a good thing to hear if you are in need of hearing them.” -105

-This made me realize that the recipient of “I’m sorry” may have an opinion towards the use of those words. It’s interesting that she points out that even if the apologizer doesn’t know the dead person they will still apologize, which makes me think that they are sorry for the family member or friend rather than the dead person.

“I was so tired of him being in this state, not alive, not dead, but constantly with his necessities, weighing on my sympathy…I wanted him to go away I didn’t care if he got better or if he died.” 108

-if Devon died then Jamaica could go back to not knowing him, not thinking about him, not pitying him and not feeling any guilt.

I think it’s true that when a person close to another is sick the well person has resentment. The sick one is getting all the attention and the well one could feel survivors’ guilt in a way. Or possibly just be angry and in partial denial about the “loved” ones illness. I also think that death and dying can toy with feelings of love; the well one may think they love the person because they know they will be gone soon but they may also realize that they weren’t very close to the sick one at all.

HW 22 - Illness & Dying Book Part 1

My Brother by Jamaica Kincaid published by Farrar Straus and Giroux in 1997 is about this woman’s ill brother, Devon. Devon lives in Antigua and is dying from AIDs. Jamaica lives in the United States reveals that she doesn’t like the Antiguan culture. She doesn’t know her brother very well but his sickness has influenced her to go see him back in her home country. The awareness about HIV and AIDs is very low in Antigua and the health care is very atypical of how American hospitals are run. Jamaica brings a drug called AZT from the states for her to take (since they don’t have this drug on the island) she also brings stronger doses of several other meds to make Devon feel better.

“I had said to him that nothing good ever could come of his being so ill, but all the same I wanted to thank him for making me realize that I loved him” pg. 21

-This is an example of how feeling like you are losing someone or being guaranteed you won’t

have them around for your whole life makes you grateful for their presence.

“…he had no children, as he lay dying, his friends had abandoned him. No one, other than the people in his family and his mother’s friends from her church, came to visit him” pg 14

-I think this sheds a light on the cultural values of how one is expected to have a room full of visitors/ spectators when their death is near.

“I missed him. I missed seeing him suffer. I missed felling sorry that in the midst of some large thing and hoping he would emerge from it changed for the better. I did not love him.” Pg 57-58

-I think it is interesting that she doesn’t think she loves him any more yet at the beginning she was sure of it and very profound about her love towards him. I think that maybe because he is getting better she is starting to feel less sorry and she is no longer repressing feelings of anger towards Devon.

Well in this case the majority of the immediate family was brought together. Devon is staying in this crappy hospital, (which happens to be the one for the poorer people on the island). The room is filthy and there are no flowers or photos or anything of that sort. He is also placed in his own room, the fan is thick with dust the floors have stains and the windowsills have sot. The author made a note to exemplify that her brother was intentionally isolated from all the other patients who aren’t sick with HIV. The family seems to be very real when they are with him they acknowledge his illness but I don’t feel that they baby him extraordinarily. When Devon is feeling well enough to leave the “hospital” (which isn’t stocked with typical meds like Tylenol) he moves in with his mother and sleeps in the same bed as her which I found to be a little odd almost as if he is going back to being a child. Jamaica talks about how her mother is only a good mother to her offspring if they are babies, sick or in jail. It seems to me that while Devon is home his mother is being overly helpful and is crossing boundaries that we have in our culture. 

HW 21 - Expert #1 Comments

On his HW 20 post
Hey Abdullah,
I think it is interesting that you felt/feel that "Erik’s fight with cancer truly motivated me to do something with my life instead of just wasting time in front of the almighty computer monitor." I find this to be interesting because I myself had a moment when I felt this way, but it swiftly passed, I don’t know if lifestyles can be changed that quickly but it would be fascinating to find out if they could and for how long the lifestyle can be altered. I am curious to know why/how hearing Beth speak about how she and Evan helped Erik motivated you.
-Amanda


On his HW19 post
Hi Felipe,
I think your most insightful line is “For the most part my parents felt that when a person is sick, all of their requests should be attended to and only “happiness” should be shared with them; meaning that you should agree with anything they say and laugh at any jokes and pretend like everything is perfectly fine. But at what point do these perspectives stop being cultural and become more personal?” I find this to be insightful because I believe that happiness is the most important part about living. One must be responsible but if they aren’t enjoying themselves then what’s the point of their existence. This connects back to what you were saying because often time’s people or at least I doesn’t think about how I would be happy if I were ill. The main focus is how I am going to be happy as I am right now. Plus I never thought about it in terms of “happiness” but more in the terms of comfort. A way you can improve this blog post is if you were to make the sentences flow better. I would have also been interesting to hear your answer to the question you posed.
-Amanda
From peers
Amanda,
I liked how you connection with what Beth had done for Erik and what you would want if you were ever admitted in a hospital. Like you, I also found it interesting how Erik was protected and discouraged from thinking about death. I also liked your thoughts on why Beth feels upset every time she sees anyone injured/sick.
I also liked how you ended your blog by pondering whether Beth was relieved/grateful that her husband died the way he died instead of something less painful such as a coma.
One thing i think you should include in your next blog is how you would have reacted if someone is your family was diagnosed with cancer (God forbid). Just try to make it more personal.
Overall, a really good blog. Keep it up. :)
- Abdullah


Sickness, death and dying are part of our lives. It seems that Amanda has captured how this is truly a personal experience that we all find different ways of dealing with. The body and mind are just two parts of the equation. The third part, the spirit, never dies and is the eternal now.
- Daniel (father)


This post is from my brother he didn’t feel like typing it so I transcribed it for him.
I like your line “The thought of me getting hit by a car and dying tomorrow scares me because I have a strong feeling that my family and friends would be shocked and I (am currently) worried about them feeling like they owe me something or having regrets concerning me and our relationship.” This is my favorite because I often times wonder about things that could unexpectedly kill me or others. I mostly focus on how a single action of mine (or another) can prevent this from happening or create this event. But I’ve never followed the thought through beyond the “accident” part, your post made me more aware of other aspects about unexpected death.
-Theo (brother)

HW 21 - Expert #1

Insights:

1. Beth said that her husband would say “I’m not bleeding so I must be fine”

2. When Erik went on the clinical trial Beth said she understood but doesn’t believe that Eric understood the agreement being made.

3. The doctors told the wife how he was really doing but didn’t tell Eric.

4. Erik’s family never used the words “dying, death, afterlife, or gone” they remained positive 100% of the time.

5. Erik’s family placed his artwork and photos around his room so people could see him as a person and not for his sickness.

6. Beth said that her husband rather be paralyzed if it meant surviving as long as he could still use his hands to make art.

7. Erik had stopped eating so Beth would go to get him sashimi, and the people at the restaurant knew who it was for and Erik’s condition.

8. Beth said she wanted to photograph her husband but he wouldn’t allow it.

I think many of the insights were had something to do with secrecy as well as openness. It sounds like Erik was shelter (or deiced to shelter himself) from the idea of death or dying, due to the fact that words which connoted ideas of death were promisingly avoided. From my understanding of Erik’s family’s experience, the process of dying was not hidden or sugar coated or discreet, but his actual death was. This isn’t good or bad, but I find it interesting that in all the experiences I have been exposed to there is always an element of secrecy, possibly implemented (consciously or unconsciously) as from of protection or to create a sense of comfort.

When I heard that art work and family photos were placed around the room it made me rethink how I would want my experience to be if I was ever in a hospital suffering from an illness. I think the art and photos serve as comfort and inspiration for the family and the patient but also, like Beth said, remind the patients visitors that regardless of the illness hopefully the persons illness is just a phase and they are still the same inside.

Further thoughts:

I was curious if Beth and Erik’s family talked about Erik’s death with other people or if it was never spoken about. I was also wondering why Erik didn’t want photographs taken of him and if Beth regrets not taking any. Beth had said that she doesn’t always cry when she thinks of her husband but that it would be certain things like car accidents that would spark tears, I thought that maybe her tears are being shed for the family of the injured or sick (because she knows how it feels to be in their place). Finally I was interested to know if Beth ever wished that her husband had slipped into a coma or if she is grateful for the way Erik died. I also want to thank Beth for coming to share her story with us it was a privilege to listen to.

HW 19 - Family Perspectives on Illness & Dying

I don’t have a very clear understanding of illness or dying, mainly because I haven’t been forced to think about it before. If I were in a scenario where I was at the hospital for an extended amount of time I would imagine that I would want visitors, such as my mom, dad, cousin, grandparents, my brother and his mom, a few friends and certainly my boyfriend. But not all at once that would be too intense. I would want them to acknowledge that I am sick or dying but then alter the conversation topic to themselves and the events in their lives. I think flowers would be nice but not necessarily if each person gave me a bouquet. I would much prefer fun toys that could entertain me for when I didn’t have guests in my room, or possibly things that would make me feel more alive.  I would want people to do things with me. Take me out of the hospital to the ocean so I can sit in the sunshine and feel the mist off the water kiss my skin. Or to a kitchen where I could bake fresh cookies and roast a chicken infused with garlic and herbs. If I were to die I wouldn’t want people to grieve over my death for too long. I would want them to acknowledge I am no longer there as the being I previously was, but I don’t want anyone to be in serious pain or heartache due to my loss.

One thing pertaining to sickness that I have most recently been concerned about is Alzheimer's. It scares me to imagine seeing a loved one and having them not recognize me or them not remember meaningful events. This thought terrifies me even deeper if I think about me and my husband when we are older, its one of my biggest fears that one day one of us won’t be able to remember the other. One other thing on the topic of dying that I’ve thought about is what would happen, or how would I feel if I died young. The thought of me getting hit by a car and dying tomorrow scares me because I have a strong feeling that my family and friends would be shocked and I (am currently) worried about them feeling like they owe me something or having regrets concerning me and our relationship. I would want them to know that I was grateful for having them in my life and they most likely had a deep impact on my thinking and happiness. I wouldn’t want them to know this for my sake but I think it might help them accept that I am gone.

My father said that if people came to talk to him he would want them to be comfortable and he wouldn’t mind if they talked about him and his condition the whole time. He said he would like to be outside and taken to a park if possible and he wouldn’t want bought gifts and would rather have the money donated to a charity. He also said that he rather undergo Euthanasia then have to endure a series of surgeries, even if it meant that he might survive. My grandmother (his mom) said that she would want people to acknowledge that she was in a hospital and her condition but then she would want them to focus on their lives and the events that were exciting and interesting in the “outside” world. She said she would also want to leave the hospital every chance she got. She said she would like flowers, but only one or two hand selected delicate ones that she can admire and paint or sketch. While we were talking she said something along the lines of, when someone dies their loved one doesn’t cry for the one that’s passed away but they are really crying for themselves.

There are a few parallels between my dad’s values and my own values I believe that if I was really not in touch with reality, and was very sick that I wouldn’t mind what the people in the room talked about I would just be grateful that they were there to see me and spent time with me. I am not sure if I would make the same decision about undergoing Euthanasia it would depend on how much pain I was in I guess. I think my values are more closely similar to those of my grandma. I really liked her idea that when people cry when their loved one dies they are really crying for themselves because I think it’s true. In all the loss I’ve experienced the reason for my tears were because I felt like I didn’t compensate or reciprocate enough, and that I wouldn’t get the chance to anymore. One other thing my grandma had told me is that every so often she gets this urge to run up to her mom and say “Mother! Mother! Look what I discovered, look at this!” I don’t say this to my mom as often as I should but I am going to start.