When the 'Fire from Within' runs out!

Early this morning, I was at the ICU talking to the relatives of one of my patients with Paranasal sinus cancer. I was explaining to them in all simplicity and actuality the consequence of their request to bring home the patient against medical advise. It is a normal reaction from an attending physician to refuse such request and I did my best trying to change their minds about it, to no avail.

I have had similar situations before and as I was talking to the patient's relatives, I realized that my stand for situations like this has mellowed down in time. Maybe due to experience, or probably because I've become more mature and have been exposed to more of the realities of life, I can now better relate to where the relative's feeling of apprehensions and anxiety are coming from. I no longer see it as "giving up" but more of "letting go".

As a christian, we believe that only God has the power to take back our lives, and that we should do everything to 'stay alive' until He decides otherwise. It is because of this that makes me fight for the lives of my patients even if the odds are high. But then again, human nature tells me to consider not only the agony of the patient but also of the relatives as well. This makes the whole scenario difficult.

Come to think of it, when the 'fire from within' runs out, is it right to let go or do we keep the flames burning until the last flicker?

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