Chatting to patients is my favourite part of medicine. There is so much to be learnt, more than just their medical conditions, but also their life experiences, lessons they’ve learnt along the way and their ways of managing suffering. The last topic is of particular fascination to me so for the last few weeks I’ve been asking patients, how do you overcome the shock of becoming sick, of realising that your body is slowly deteriorating and being rudely reminded of your mortality?

Here are some of the answers I’ve received (de-identified for confidentiality).

“Life is filled with suffering, you know. I’ve known suffering when I was young and over the years I’ve become used to dealing with hardships. I think when you come to expect the struggle it becomes less difficult to manage.”

“I’m a believer in God so I think all of this has a purpose, it’s all according to His will. That gives me great strength because I know that whatever happens, I’m in good hands. My church community is great too, I know they are always praying for me.”

“I don’t think I handle it very well. Alcohol and weed help. A lot of it.”

“I try not to think about it too much. I’ve always been a cup half full kind of person and just hope I’ll be lucky.”

“Oh… I don’t know. I distract myself, I guess. Ever heard of Genshin Impact?”

“I have two little kids and the thought of leaving them behind is terrible. I need to get through this so I can watch them grow up and attend their graduation and watch them become amazing adults.”

“Yeah it was shocking. All my dreams and plans for the future were gone, just like that. My boss was actually my best supporter through this: he let me take all the leave I wanted and told me to come back when I was better.”

“Pfft, this thing? I’m already feeling better, there’s nothing to worry about.”

“I’m ready to die. When you’ve lived as long as I have, the pain of living slowly outweighs the joy of it. So if this kills me, I don’t think I’ll mind too much, I’ll only regret not spending more time with my family when I had the chance.”