Michelbrand P G
Malteser-Krankenhaus, Bonn.
Langenbecks Arch Chir. 1988;Suppl 2:547-9.
A few weeks ago the doctor informed me of a 35-year-old woman, who was being treated for cancer. The patient, a mother of two children, already has full metastasis. When the doctor did his visits, she asked him very clearly and directly about her condition, but he gave evasive answers. Afterwards he asked me: "What should I do? Am I allowed to tell her the truth, although there is nothing left to hope for?" I advised him to answer all her questions truly and honestly, and he did. We decided to accompany the patient in her struggles and difficulties. During that time we had very profound dialogues with her about her worries and anxieties. While grappling with the problem of death many people awaken to a deeper sense of life. My task in the hospital Pastoral Care is to be with the people in their questions, thoughts and complaints; to endure and share their weariness and difficulties, not to give superficial and trivial answers.
几周前，医生跟我讲了一位正在接受癌症治疗的35岁女性患者的情况。这位患者是两个孩子的母亲，已经出现全身转移。医生查房时，她非常明确且直接地询问自己的病情，但医生总是含糊其辞。之后他问我：“我该怎么办？我能告诉她实情吗？尽管已经没什么希望了。”我建议他如实回答她所有的问题，他照做了。我们决定陪伴这位患者应对她所面临的挣扎与困难。在那段时间里，我们与她就她的担忧和焦虑进行了非常深入的对话。在与死亡问题作斗争的过程中，许多人对生活有了更深的感悟。我在医院担任牧师关怀的任务就是陪伴人们面对他们的疑问、思考和抱怨；忍受并分担他们的疲惫与困难，而不是给出肤浅和琐碎的答案。
