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The FOGHORN
ROTARY CLUB OF HALF MOON BAY
May 17, 2018
On Metaphor and Mortality: Why Medicine Needs Stories at the End of Life
by Aldis Petriceks
Article by Mitone Griffiths
Photos by Liz Schuck
Aldis Petriceks is an Anatomy Scholar and research Assistant at the Stanford University School of Medicine at the Stanford PULSE Institute.
Aldris opened with a story of about a patient named Barbara whom he had gotten to know during her last two months in hospice as a volunteer on her care team. Barbara, whose name and details are altered for privacy, was dying of pancreatic cancer. Her care team had worked tirelessly to manage the pain, but her suffering was great. Barbara and her family eventually opted for terminal palliative sedation – where a patient, facing intractable pain at the end of life, receives a cocktail of sedative drugs to induce a coma in their last days or weeks.
End-of-life stories matter, Petriceks goes on to say, because they speak to the plotlines in each of us. Human beings are storytellers, we speak in metaphor and simile, live through characters and plot twists.
Each generation and culture finds it’s own existential tension. In the ancient world, it was the search for the divine. In the 19th century Europe, it was the progress of the enlightened mind. In the following century, it was world at war with evil and disease. In our current Western age of technology and biomedical revolution, our tensions arise from within.
The modern fear is that something is wrong inside our own bodies. Cancer, Alheimer’s, the fact of aging, have taken the place of gripping Victorian thrillers. Ultimately, public medical conscience has coalesced into one simple motif, death. We cannot escape death, so what do we make of dying?
Enter medicine. The profession whose fate is inherently tied to death and as mortality continues to grow in the public imagination, medicine cannot sit idly by.
Through his conversations with Marianne, a patient in her late sixties, she helps him understand how medicine, mortality and what matters at the end. She shows him that death and dying are not exclusively personal. Death and dying are universal, that dying is still about life.
The idea that young, healthy people should not burden themselves with mortality is part of a much broader Western attitude. For our custure, conversations of death and dying are rather like policemen, showing up at the door of a vibrant party. Life is meant to be lived, so why waste time talking of death?
What does “the death conversation” even mean? Why should everyone, not just the dying, take part? A patient, despite all efforts, is dying. Knowng this, how does the person want to spend their day? What’s that person’s favorite part of his or herself- whether it be with, piano-playing, a warm personality- and how can we maintain that? Their answers provide a rough blueprint for a quality end of life.
Having served Marianne for months, he published her essay. The first of many in the medical journal, Palliative and Supportive Care. He was driven by one unifying purpose: to tell medical stories which illuminate our most human tensions.
Medicine needs narrative at the end of life, most of all for those who are still living. He learned that truth from Marianne, from Barbara and from countless other patients with stories to tell. Humans are storytellers, and mortality is a universal theme in the human story.
Editor's NOTE: Article will be added when available.
May 17, 2018 Meeting Recap
Photos by Liz Schuck
Greeters: Dave Cresson/ Past president and Tim Haller/Sargent of Arms
Inspirational Thought: Tim Haller – “The grass is always greener on the other side because they use more horse manure.”
Pledge of Allegiance: Mary Corcoran
Guests and Visitors
Marla Wong, Dave Dickson's wife brought friend and neighbor Jim Tierney.
Ayn Johnston sitting in for Bill and Heather Bodman, Honorary Member
Happy/Not So Happy News
Liz Schuck loved the experience of teaching Life Skills at the high school.
Irwin Cohen just returned from his “homeland”, New York City, where he visited the Whitney Museum.
Kevin O’Brien spent the past week end at the Mother Lode Round up. His brother with the Sheriff’s Posse was the grand marshal in the second largest parade in California in Sonora. They also went to a rodeo.
Dianne Bobko shared her time with the Astronaut wives who visited our area and thanked Club members who helped her with their visit. They all went to Fioli where Liz Schuck helped take part of the group around the garden. Dave Cresson took them on a history tour of HMB. Mary Corcoran helped Dianne with their reservations at the Oceano Hotel where they stayed, and Bonnie Dunham took their pictures at a formal dinner they had at Pasta Moon. Dianne also hosted them at her home for dinner.
Dianne also hosted our exchange students, Rafa and Louise and their current host families, Mary and Bill Corcoran and Grace and Kris Hammerstrom and their daughter, Dana, for dinner so they could talk with Bo and hear about his experiences in Space.
Mitone Griffith is ending up the swim season with her daughter, Mia. She broke 2 high school records in the 300 and 500 freestyles. And once back from Sacrament she's been busy with her youngest finishing up in Volleyball.
John Evans daughter from So. Cal recently visited with them volunteering to take over her student loan payments. Larkin Evans was recently hospitalized with low sodium and has been in the hospital for a week, and is home now.
Mary Rogren is in Belgium visiting with Caroline, our past Exchange Student, and they sent a video of them playing a piano duet to brighten up Larkin.
President Warren Barmore announced the resignation of Millie Golder from our club. She has moved to Lincoln, California.
Marla Wong stated that Dave Dickson was at a Water District regional luncheon and was unable to attend today’s Meeting. Also, their daughter just graduated medical school at UCSF with husband, baby and in laws from Russia in attendance. She is now officially a doctor.
Paul Wruble announced his grandson just graduated from UC Berkeley.
Rotary Paul Harris Award
Kevin O'Brien, RI Foundation Chair, presented Dianne Bobko with her 6th Paul Harris Award; Her new pin has 5 sapphire chips.
Announcements
Coastside Seniors- Taste of the Coast event is this Sunday from 5-7:30 at seniors center. Warren has tickets.
Charise McHugh announced that vocational life skills program went well at the high schools. This year’s students were prepared and enjoyable. Teacher, John Carey, had an excellent group of students and they were very respectful. Mary Corcoran did a great job coordinating this event.
Charise was requesting someone to take on coordinating the program with Pescadero in November.
Mitone Griffith reminded everyone about the Spring Leadership Conference coming up Sunday, May 27th. 10 students wanted to go and Warren and Mitone collected funds from the club to cover the expense of $20 per student.
Mitone also mentioned the students returning from RYLA were so excited and jazzed and our excited about developing some projects.
Mitone Griffiths shared her experiences at the District Conference and encouraged all club members to participate in this event. They had speakers covering items such as, slavery, sex trafficking and how close we are to ending polio. There were middle school students who are working through music with dementia patients and UC Davis is assisting with research.
President Warren gave out club banners for acknowledgement of our leadership roles, community service, international service and vocational programs.
Liz Schuck reminded everyone about Magic on June 2nd. Recognized sponsors of the event. Kevin stressed the need to get out there and buy tickets and raffle tickets. More updates to come.
Exchange Students Update
Raffa shared with the club his fun time at the prom and his love of local surfing.
Louise shared how much fun she had at prom and said she felt like an “American”. The spent the night in Santa Cruz and a day at the boardwalk. Experience a great dinner with the Astronaut wives and went to a Taylor Swift concert.
Marble Drawing NO WINNER THIS WEEK
President's Message
President Warren Barmore’s Baseball Trivia: Please do not check for accuracy….:-)
- SF Giants hitting consecutive strikes – Jack Clark 1978
- First back to back MVP – Barry bonds – 2001-2004
- Who won for consecutive home runs – Mel Ott – 1933 Orlando Sapada – 1961 and Tim Haller – 1966 (most recent Brandon Belt)
REMINDERS
Our Monthly Rotary Day at the Community Free Breakfast (held at the Lutheran Church will be Wednesday, MAY 30. Please sign up for a shift for future days (last Wednesday of each month.)
OUR SPEAKERS and PROGRAMS for MAY
24th - Exchange Student Presentations: Louise Chielens and Rafael Matiax
31st - Club Assembly: Magic Prep
PHOTO GALLERY