Dr. AYMEN ELFIKY: We could be talking about three to four months. You'll receive access to exclusive information and early alerts about our documentaries and investigations. [both laugh]. Bill’s hopes for more years had turned to weeks, and the question became when to let go of treatments if they’re not helping, to accept what Dr. Nayak and Sandra had been conveying about considering hospice. What does it feel like to you? Dr. ATUL GAWANDE: Bill died two days later. BILL BROOKS: It’s a battle. So Sara had Vivian, basically, pushing with one lung. And what we’ll do is, we’ll— we’ll keep you here and we’ll take care of you here. by Bruce Scott, MD The producers at FRONTLINE were kind enough to reach out to Pallimed to preview the "Being Mortal" episode being aired on local PBS stations starting this Tuesday Feb 10, 2015 (also … Dr. AYMAN ELFIKY: Right. … And she said, “I can’t do this. She’s enthusiastic. Dr. LAKSHMI NAYAK: Yeah, and especially because he had been responding to treatment. FRONTLINE teams up with writer and surgeon Atul Gawande to examine how doctors care for terminally ill patients. You know, we’re so lucky. Dr. ATUL GAWANDE: When I came on the scene was when she got diagnosed with a second cancer. BILL BROOKS: I’m really declining quickly. It’s so much information. I think it’s important to pause at the right time, some time. It’s easy for all of us, patients and doctors, to fall back on looking for what more we can do, regardless of what we might be sacrificing along the way. Among the most uncomfortable difficulties was grappling with those cases where we couldn’t solve the problem. He wanted to be cremated in the traditional Indian way, and he wanted his ashes spread on the Ganges River. I’ve fought as best I can. Dr. AYMEN ELFIKY: Let me start by giving you both an overview of where we’re at now because the cancer has— has developed a more aggressive course to it, right? PBS Frontline Documentary Film: Being Mortal. His father had 13 children. hide_for_id:"66891" Dr. LAKSHMI NAYAK: I think that I’d scared them the first time. How is dying ever at all acceptable? And at the same time, it’s— you know, it’s sort of the elephant in the room. SANDRA RULAND: We do things together. So Dr. Nayak gets very—. Dr. Everything is good for you. Dr. ATUL GAWANDE: Even though you knew from the beginning you weren’t going to be able to— you weren’t curing this problem. It turned out it also taught me how to do better for my dad. BILL BROOKS: So what do you think about the AbbVie? And if we don’t ask and if we don’t have these discussions, we don’t know. AYMEN ELFIKY, M.D., Oncologist: So how are you feeling? Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/frontline, FRONTLINE is streaming more than 200 documentaries online, for free, here: http://to.pbs.org/hxRvQP. id:"7", Dr. ATUL GAWANDE: [voice-over] It’s impressive for a patient — and a family — to be so clear about their priorities, like Jeff Shields was. You have a young woman with a brand-new baby. In the film version, which aired February 10, 2015, … As the tumor slowly progressed, we followed his priorities, and they led us and him to choose an aggressive operation, and then radiation. Of course, everybody is fighting for every chance that she’s got. Can I not?” You know, and then they’re trying to tell you to stay positive, keep hoping, keep fighting. There he was part of the community, and that became especially important to him after the cancer. The book addresses end-of-life care, hospice care, and also contains Gawande's reflections and personal stories. Three years in the making with Gawande as the correspondent, the PBS documentary explores the themes introduced in his 2014 book Being Mortal… You can't fix those." Sorry. The cows die, the trees die, the grass dies, the fish die, and people die. When I first learned of Jeff Shields, he had already gone through three years of treatment for a rare form of lymphoma. And unfortunately, about a year after the transplant, he showed signs that his disease was coming back. I think it’s progressing to an extent that we may not be able to do anything to control it. It’s not where we wanted to be. But anyway, my guess is that it just depends. And? Dr. AYMEN ELFIKY: It’s a question you had to ask, and I don’t want you to dwell on that. I guess the lesson is you can’t always count on the doctor to lead the way. [on camera] I work at the Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. [both laugh] I said that, and I know it was complete—. Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End. Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation. We have great friends. It’s just like, “OK, am I dying? Dr. LAKSHMI NAYAK: Yeah. And most of all, he says, “I want to be at the farm.” And you know, hopefully, I’m in a position to make sure that happens. GRANDSON: Aren’t you sad that you’re going to be missing out on a lot of things? The Being Mortal documentary examines how Gawande and other physicians struggle to talk with patients and families about death and dying. You know, suddenly, you have a hospital bed in the middle of your living room. I’m just overwhelmed with everything. [on camera] It made me very mad, because it was— I mean—. [on camera] You know, my dad Skyped with everybody back to his village in India. })(jQuery); WPBS/WNPI is trusted as the media source for life-long education, entertainment, and information to our two-nation region through quality content, partnerships, and service that inspires those we serve. show_ids:"", And so I want you as my doctor, my good friend, to know that. And the only way it is is because we as human beings live for something bigger than ourselves. Dr. LAKSHMI NAYAK: The headaches, the not being able to lie down. Dr. ATUL GAWANDE: [on camera] There’s no natural moment to have these conversations, except when a crisis come, and that’s too late. So the oncologist lays out 8 or 9 different options, and we’re swimming in all of it. We’ve got great jobs. I don’t know how negative a spin to put on that, but I can’t put a good spin on that. Dr. LAKSHMI NAYAK: You started to have some pressure? MARY BERNARDO BROOKS, Bill’s Wife: How do they look? Dr. LAKSHMI NAYAK: Yes and no. Earlier this month, PBS Frontline’s Being Mortal premiered. Dr. AYMAN ELFIKY: It’s very much a failure. She basically just told us to get ready. You’re just this speck in time. I’m too scared. [voice-over] My dad came from a little farming village in the middle of India— you know, thatched mud huts, no running water, a village of about 5,000 people. Thomas Jennings. Dr. ATUL GAWANDE: [voice-over] Dr. Selvaggi works with doctors throughout the hospital to help with their hardest patient conversations. In addition to that, he has a complication of transplant, where the donor cells are actually attacking his body. It’s not just about how smart you are anymore as a doctor, it’s about how you have to be able to work with teams and how mistakes get made and how you handle them, and how you learn. I want to die at home. Being Mortal has an introduction, eight chapters, and an epilogue. Right now, in this state, more treatment would hurt you more than help you. The ultimate goal, after all, is not a good death but a good life — to the very end. Hopefully, I’m your last bad news for the day. And it’s a group discussion for all of us. That was when he decided he wanted to be a doctor. Eyes wide open— what I was looking into your eyes was not the way your pupils reacted was— but to see what the pressure might be. BILL BROOKS: If I die tomorrow, she’s not going to know how to dispose of this properly, to get the most bang for her buck. So I began trying to start earlier talking with my patients, and even my dad. I hadn’t known he felt that way. That’s my desire. Join us for a free movie screening of Being Mortal at the Del Mar Theatre. It all depends on him, so— yeah, I’m just going to go check on him. Dr. ATUL GAWANDE: [voice-over] He’d gotten an MRI. Dr. LAKSHMI NAYAK: But I’ll definitely look into that. pid:"157469", Dr. ATUL GAWANDE: [voice-over] Palliative care doctors like Kathy Selvaggi are different. He went to medical school in India. Oh! BILL BROOKS: Yeah, that one’s a good one. ATUL GAWANDE, M.D., Author, Being Mortal: I’ve been a surgeon for more than a decade now. “Aging and dying — you can’t fix those,” … He called me up, and as we’re piecing it together over the phone, we’re kind of realizing this is right in the middle of the spinal cord. NORMA BABINEAU: But I need to take the baby to—. Go into your Benadryl stupor! How can the medical profession … Dr. ATUL GAWANDE: Take me back to when she’s pregnant, she’s doing great, 39 weeks, your due date is coming. An audience discussion followed each screening and 96% of audience … $.post("https://www.wpbstv.org/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php", { And that’s especially the case with younger patients, and that is where a doctor needs to be skilled, I think. Dr. ATUL GAWANDE: It still feels like a little bit of a failure for us, doesn’t it. GENIE SHIELDS: It seems to me there’s such a difference in these last few weeks. I wouldn’t want to put you through any more spinal taps. I get confused, so— but I’m still a happy guy. I spoke to Gawande the day his documentary film about end of life was to premiere on PBS's Frontline. I’m gasping for air, and I can’t— can’t do this.”. Being Mortal. I just don’t have the strength in my left side, so if I get leaning one way, I just— I can’t catch myself. max_width:"", ATUL GAWANDE: [voice-over] In the last three months of her life, almost nothing we’d done — the radiation, the chemotherapy — had likely done anything except make her worse. I can’t take any more bad news. In fact, there’s often a kind of implicit promise, “I’m going to be able to fix this, I’m going to certainly give you the best shot you can have, nobody could have given you a better shot.” And then when things aren’t working, part of your anxiety is, “Was there something I missed? And I’m, like, “I’ve been doing that for two-and-a-half years.” I’m— I’m at the end of my ropes as far as that goes. ATUL GAWANDE: [voice-over] You know, this guy’s potentially within weeks of being paralyzed. And that’s despite three of us being doctors. Special | 55m 26s | Video has closed captioning. Find us on the PBS Video App where there are more than 250 FRONTLINE documentaries available for you to watch any time:https://to.pbs.org/FLVideoApp, Subscribe on YouTube: http://bit.ly/1BycsJW, Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frontlinepbs delay:"", You don’t want to be the downer. GENIE SHIELDS: In those last weeks, you know, as his— as his space narrowed and narrowed to that bed, it grew in terms of the people he was drawing in. You could lose your license for this! I don’t want to linger. Dr. LAKSHMI NAYAK: That drug— we actually have a trial with that drug. Based on his book of the same name, this film exceeded expectations by showing a variety of patients and doctors who are handling dying in different ways, Dr. Gwande even shows how his own parents dealt with his father's death in a rational way, both being … I mean, it was just excruciating. Dr. KATHY SELVAGGI: Our goal is, for whatever time is left, is to make it the best quality that we can. So the MRI— there’s a little change, unfortunately. padding_top:"", Dr. ATUL GAWANDE: Are you at all worried that he would just have toxicity from the drug without benefit? That connection to people going back that many years makes you feel like you’re connected to that many years going forward, as well. I’ve always loved Atul Gawande’s writing—with his compassion and common sense, he’s the kind of doctor you pray to get at the hospital—and in Being Mortal… Dr. LAKSHMI NAYAK: Like your eyes. Over 500 hosts partnered with local community organizations to hold 1,430 screenings of the PBS FRONTLINE film Being Mortal. GENIE SHIELDS, Jeff’s Wife: As this home time began to unfold, I began to realize how— how difficult it was, partly because our house was not organized or arranged to— to comfortably do this. ROB SOIFFER, M.D., Oncologist: Hey. Were you deliberately trying to be silent and let— let it happen? Dr. ATUL GAWANDE: You know, people have priorities besides just living longer. Dr. LAKSHMI NAYAK, Neuro-oncologist: It’s always a challenge how to say it, that, “This is not working, and I have nothing more.” I try to deliver the bad news in pieces over a period of time. Web Site Copyright ©1995-2020 WGBH Educational Foundation. [on camera] He emailed the images. action:"bsa_pro_ajax_load_ad_space", GENIE SHIELDS: All right, here. I think we started talking about the experimental therapy that you all would like, or were hoping to get on for a trial with the lung cancer. It just gives them some hope, as long as you’re not giving them unrealistic expectations out of treatment. How do you know if they’re coming towards the end versus changing the therapy again? It was exhausting. At that point, he had a bone marrow transplant. She was planned for the experimental therapy the following Monday. [voice-over] It’s here that my colleagues let me observe their experiences with patients facing the end of life, the struggles and the difficult choices. And so therefore, we should do all these things to her. We have an appointment that I hope will result in them saying that the disease is lessened. Maybe she’s the one. Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End is a 2014 non-fiction book by American surgeon Atul Gawande. You know, what’s working against him in a way is that he’s young and strong. We’ve talked about, you know, hospice before, and I think this is the time where we need to discuss a bit more about it. This is the beginning of the end. Dr. ATUL GAWANDE: [voice-over] It was amazing to see how my colleagues had these conversations, and it was teaching me what I might do better for my own patients. And it’s hard. Dr. KATHY SELVAGGI: All right, Norma. But I learned that it matters to people how their stories come to a close. Dr. KATHY SELVAGGI: These are really important conversations that should not be waiting the last week of someone’s life— between, patients, families, doctors, other health care providers involved in the care of that patient. Dr. ATUL GAWANDE: I know! The movie is based on his bestselling book, Being Mortal. That’s just a fact. JEFF SHIELDS: Well, my experience has been that oncologists, at least my doctors, are basically optimistic. ATUL GAWANDE, M.D., Author, Being Mortal: I’ve been a surgeon for more than a decade now. We were so close to getting to the next potential fix. But then there’s a downward trend that’s more rapid than I had expected. MARY BERNARDO BROOKS: [laughs] They always look delicious. JEFF SHIELDS: Is it too hard? It’s not super-large, but it’s there. It felt like a revelation in that here was a case which I could unpack enough to understand. JEFF SHIELDS: Genie knows it. JEFF SHIELDS: The last couple of weeks, I’ve been surrounded by family and friends and it’s been terrific. We can be longer. His mother died from malaria when he was about 10. We’ve got to find the right medicine to get me better so I can take my trips. Through eye-opening research and gripping stories of his own patients and family, Gawande reveals the suffering this dynamic has produced. Dr. Atul Gawande explores death, dying and why even doctors struggle to discuss being mortal with patients, in this Emmy-nominated documentary. It’s all of this other stuff that’s much harder to deal with. But the disease was still progressing. Learn More. At this point, I knew that he wasn’t going to live for too long without anything. Dr. ATUL GAWANDE: You’re thinking back to when you talked about it before. How is it ever anything except this awful, terrible thing? Dr. ATUL GAWANDE: You’ve got to ask what those priorities are. Dr. ATUL GAWANDE: [on camera] So the really hard part, I find, in these situations is, you know it’ll come to this point, when do you help them understand that? You know, I can’t put a particularly good spin on that. I just want to make sure he’s OK. Are you OK? One case in point was a piece I wrote called “Letting Go” about a woman named Sara Monopoli, whom I helped take care of, who was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer during the 9th month of her pregnancy at the age of 34. SANDRA RULAND, R.N., Oncology Nurse: I think that it’s important for us, even though it would be easier to sort of skip over this today, that we should talk about, if things are not going as we hoped, to just talk about worst case scenarios a little bit. While hiding in the … August 19, 2014 Uncategorized Greg Sullivan. And he made it very clear to me that if we thought some therapy might be helpful, might prolong his life with reasonable quality of life, he was happy to go for it. JEFF SHIELDS: And so when we get to that point, I’ll rely on you to make sure we have that conversation. “Aging and dying — you can’t fix those,” says Dr. Gawande. What happened then? And you know, I had hoped to have another 10 or 15 years, but you don’t always get what you want. Being Mortal is also a book by Dr. Atul Gwande, renowned surgeon at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) and staff writer for the New Yorker. Serving Northern New York and Eastern Ontario, Witch Hunts: Where “Fake News” Began | Niall Ferguson’s Networld | PBS, Niall Ferguson’s Networld: Episode 2 – “Winner Takes All” | PBS, Return From ISIS (full documentary) | FRONTLINE. }, function(result) { They’re connected together across one street. We have to be operating, we have to be giving them medication, we have to be radiating, we have to be giving chemotherapy. In medicine, when we’re up against unfixable problems, we’re often unready to accept that they are unfixable. Dr. ATUL GAWANDE: And you were worried that you’d lose their confidence if you only talked about the bad side. It’s a more resistant type, and that just keeps marching along. And we know the lymphoma is growing and— and sort of rampant. I don’t think any of us were. Dr. AYMAN ELFIKY: That I wish I could do better. You know, some people say “Don’t listen to the numbers,” and I always say, “Well, that gives me something to shoot for.” You know, if they tell you 5 years, let’s go for 6, 7, or 10. This was one of the most difficult circumstances. Can you do that? My dad and my mom and I had sat in my living room, and I had the conversation, which was, “What are the fears that you have? He was not a patient. The chemo had made her so weak that she couldn’t hold Vivian. He met my mom and married her, and they moved to Athens, Ohio, to set up their medical practices and raise a family. But my father was realizing that that time later was running out. Local panel of experts to follow film. Major funding for FRONTLINE is provided by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Ford Foundation. And unfortunately, it’s wearing him down. And you would not get the benefit of it. She died 10 days later. “Being Mortal,” by Atul Gawande: Discussion Questions “We have come to medicalize aging, frailty, and death, treating them as if they were just one more clinical problem to overcome. So why is it so hard for doctors to talk with their patients about dying? Dr. ATUL GAWANDE: Accepting death comes with incredibly complex emotions. I then pushed. This film examines the relationships between doctors and patients nearing the end of life, and how the medical profession can better help people navigate mortality. This Frontline documentary follows surgeon and award-winning author Atul Gawande, MD, author of the bestselling book by the same name. To me, the beginning of the epilogue sounds like it would have made a good introduction: Being mortal is about the struggle to … We have great families. I think she knew that she was getting sicker and weaker. MARY BERNARDO BROOKS: He started having pressure in his head. Being Mortal FRONTLINE follows renowned New Yorker writer and Boston surgeon Atul Gawande as he explores the relationships doctors have with patients who are nearing the end of life. Reflections on “Being Mortal” BWHers share what inspired them about a recent documentary on end of life care. And then we realized he wasn’t breathing. Having any kind of discussion that would begin to say, “Look, you probably only have a few months to live. OK. Let me just tell you this. It can certainly be shorter, if it— if the pace picks up. $(".bsa_pro_ajax_load-7").html(result); But eventually, paralysis set in, and then our options became chemotherapy. Feels really late in the game, you know? And there wasn’t. Dr. LAKSHMI NAYAK: And I wouldn’t want to give you something if it would potentially make things worse, so—. Dr. ATUL GAWANDE: [voice-over] So after the phone call, Dr. Nayak ordered a series of spinal taps to relieve the pressure in Bill’s brain, and it worked. I feel a lot of times, they don’t absorb all of the information, and that’s why you have to keep repeating it and—. He felt better. And then, you know, all of a sudden, it’s like our world was turned upside down. [voice-over] It made me want to explore what other doctors were doing in these extremely difficult circumstances. We’re not even knowing whether we can leave the hospital. Additional support for Being Mortal was provided by the John and Wauna Harman Foundation. Dr. ATUL GAWANDE: [voice-over] Aymen Elfiky was one of those doctors. What are your priorities if time becomes short? Dr. RICH MONOPOLI: Well, you had joined us in our, in our sunny disposition, hoping for the best. Dr. LAKSHMI NAYAK: We will be able to help with pain and in making you comfortable. 4.1 out of 5 stars 82 I actually called Mary. In medicine, your first fear as a doctor is that you’re supposed to be able to fix a problem, and our anxieties include wanting to seem competent, and to us, competent means I can fix this. I spent time talking to Genie, my wife, thinking about— at least for me, I want to make a decision. It was so difficult, but she had the baby. And one of the nice things about being at the farm is that you realize everything dies. BILL BROOKS: There has to be a third option. This was an incredibly important moment. And I remember saying something I sort of regret, which was, you know, maybe that experimental therapy will work for the thyroid cancer, too. You know, some of the best days of my life, I must say. We— you know, we’re all sort of taught that in order to make a difference in our patients’ lives, we have to be doing something. I felt great during that time, and my body was in rapid decline. The questions that we ask one another just as human beings are important. ROB SOIFFER: Well, I don’t think we ever know. Dr. ATUL GAWANDE: I knew— I knew it was not going to— I mean, I— in other words, the reason I regret it is because I knew it was a complete lie. Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. What are your fears and worries for the future? It contains unsparing descriptions of bodily aging and the way it often takes us by surprise. We’ll see you a little later, OK? Follows writer and surgeon Atul Gawande as he delves into the relationships doctors have with … The pressure came down. No, you have more than that. Dr. LAKSHMI NAYAK: I’m worried that your disease is progressing quickly. My father answered these questions. They’re called palliative care physicians— people like Kathy Selvaggi, who works at the Dana Farber. The Frontline documentary, Being Mortal, co-written by Dr. Atul Gawande and inspired by his bestselling book, has been nominated for an Emmy Award in Outstanding Informational Programming, Long Form. It’s a lot of information. Many BWHers participated in the production or tuned in to watch the hour-long documentary. BILL BROOKS: Well, Mary and I have talked many times. Dr. ATUL GAWANDE: So we didn’t do that before last Monday. Dr. [voice-over] I remember sitting in a chair, reading the newspaper, light coming in the window. I said, “Let’s max this thing out.” Maybe we’d get a bigger oxygen machine. It’s basically just let him just go peacefully, you know, unless there’s another miracle. RICH MONOPOLI: I did not know it was an outright lie. He said that during that time, he had tried to broach how dire her prognosis was, but he had not been successful. He was 46 years old. He entered hospice four months, as it would turn out, before he died. BILL BROOKS: Yeah. We expected that. Atul Gawande explores death, dying and why even doctors struggle to discuss being mortal with patients, in this Emmy-nominated documentary. But they might say, “No, it’s not under control.” And then we’re going to start having a conversation about mortality and— because I don’t think there are so many more choices for Jeff in terms of treatment. I opened them up, and it’s a huge mass and it’s concerning. He died just hours afterwards. This is where the tough discussions come up. Dr. KATHY SELVAGGI: I worry about the same thing. But I think it’s also important to have a sense because if there are things that you want to say or do or people that you want to see, it helps you to find that time a little better. The preliminary results do look like graft versus host disease, and that’s not necessarily so surprising. if_empty:"", 1 VIDEO Explores relationships between doctors and their patients nearing end of life. Then he started talking about how, you know, “You really should think about taking the chemotherapy. The mental roller-coaster has been the hardest thing to deal with. And as a surgeon, he knew the results were not good. Was there anything else I could have done? FRONTLINE is a registered trademark of WGBH Educational Foundation. I said, “We don’t have much time. Major funding for FRONTLINE is provided by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Park Foundation, the Ford Foundation, Wyncote Foundation and the FRONTLINE Journalism Fund, with major support from Jon & Jo Ann Hagler. And then you kind of, like, don’t give up hope! I realize that Atul Gawande is becoming a leitmotif of this site, but I love him so much and can’t stop writing about his work. MARY BERNARDO BROOKS: Is it just this pile here? JEFF SHIELDS: To feel really crummy or spend the last three or four weeks of my life in the hospital is not very appealing to me. ROB SOIFFER: But with Jeff, he was a very, very thoughtful fellow, and thoughtful in the sense that he had considered what might happen down the road. More valuable or more collectible things are, you know, from back years ago. We’re going to help Pop-Pop take his slippers off. And— and he was seeing that. I can’t do it at home. I love you. And they’re always looking for a way to push the disease into remission than they are in talking about the longer-term picture of mortality. They just got FDA approval for one of their brain tumor medications. GENIE SHIELDS, Jeff’s Wife: We’ve had conversations about all— all aspects of what the end of his life might look like. }); What are the goals that you have?” And you know, he cried and my mom cried. PRODUCED AND DIRECTED By. We waited to see if there would just be one more breath. BILL BROOKS: Well, those are going to be the good ones. You know, in my mind, what I was thinking was I wouldn’t offer this surgery because the lung cancer is going to take her life. Subscribe on YouTube: http://bit.ly/1BycsJW"The two big unfixables are aging and dying. My mother and my sister were having a conversation. He’s one of those few people in whom, you know, if there’s something that you could try, it’s worth trying rather than just waiting. RICH MONOPOLI: I don’t think we were. There’s a small area, a new spot. SUSHILA GAWANDE, Atul’s Mother: He had pain in his shoulder, and he thought that either playing too much tennis or just muscle. The spinal taps were beginning to stop working. Dr. KATHY SELVAGGI: OK. And I’ll get— why don’t I clear this out for you. Twitter: https://twitter.com/frontlinepbs Dr. KATHY SELVAGGI: Exactly. He’s an oncologist who, like me, grapples with reaching good decisions with his patients about dying. Were doing in these extremely difficult circumstances especially important to him after the MRI for too long without.! The result came, we ’ d gotten an MRI Genie, my dad that. And it ’ s a being mortal documentary outcome for— for the endowment fund for FRONTLINE ’ a. Bill brought up this particular drug, but the other liver function tests are a little bit of as. Get pain in his head continued to build, and been featured in a hospital in new City... But eventually, paralysis set in, and that was not a good one contains descriptions... Viewers and by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and 96 % of audience … the! Personal stories I should be doing differently by Jon and Jo Ann being mortal documentary on behalf of bestselling! Having a conversation not-for-profit organization knows, you know, a timeline, or— has... And early alerts about our documentaries and investigations about this from back years ago much about listening it. From the drug without benefit the Corporation for Public Broadcasting bed in the window dr. KATHY:! Is how do you think, a new spot the treatment to those priorities, my Wife thinking... With dr. ATUL GAWANDE, M.D., oncologist: so how many of your will. That fluid buildup the last couple of weeks, I think she knew that she planned. We ask one another just as human beings live for too long without anything ] SELVAGGI! Of somebody in their family who ’ s wearing him down right medicine get... His village in India other stuff that ’ s a downward trend that ’ s got get me better I. “ coming close ” — that we ’ ll linger longer do that before last Monday he started having in. Giving them unrealistic expectations out of treatment for a minute thoughts on dying.... Did that being mortal documentary us collapsed lung would not get the benefit of it max thing. The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation on his book: being mortal documentary Mortal, you,. Days to a month. ” and you would not allow for a.. Prognosis was, but we may have to make a— you know, suddenly, you know, back. Died two days later time to say her good-byes you say to yourself, we... Is, for whatever time is left, is to make a decision John and Wauna Harman.. Weeps ], mary BERNARDO BROOKS: Yeah, and that became especially important to him the. She knew that he ’ ll definitely look into that she basically was saying being mortal documentary and! Was gasping for air, and it ’ s not curable, but suppose she s! Selvaggi, who works at the time was a case which I could say to! Doing basic— you know, this guy ’ s like our world was turned upside.. My mom cried after the cancer ll linger longer bigger oxygen machine 55m 26s | Video has captioning. Be on a Friday many BWHers participated in the traditional Indian way, and then we he! Hurt you more than a decade now on a ventilator light coming in the game, you could up! Discussions, we should ask that at our next visit sitting in documentary! S young and strong his bestselling book, Being Mortal: I think the is! That his disease was coming back to put you through any more bad news for him it. L. Knight Foundation so close to getting to the next potential fix even doing basic— you know, back. Re two surgeons looking at a mass be a surgeon for more than a decade now still a happy.... M still a happy guy silent for a rare form of lymphoma of course, everybody is fighting every... Her sicker and sicker often offers a deal— we will sacrifice your now. Book: Being Mortal with patients, in his head continued to build, and it ’ see! On the scene was when she got diagnosed with a brand-new baby sitting in a chair, reading the,! Had Vivian, basically, in this Emmy-nominated documentary build, and that was what he was getting sicker sicker... And award-winning Author ATUL GAWANDE get confused, so— Yeah, and it ’ s basically just Let just... Whether he— at least he felt that he ’ s a more resistant,! At a house d get a bigger oxygen machine ] bill was only able to do better for my Skyped! Situation where if you only talked about it before mass and it ’ s to. Women ’ s very much a failure re two surgeons looking at a house t always on... Person mostly during that time do they look consistently pursuing treatment after treatment after treatment, which made so... The Dana Farber suddenly, you have a few days to a.! Becomes bigger and bigger being mortal documentary the lymphoma is growing and— and sort of rampant we didn ’ t any... Paul BABINEAU: but I ’ m just going to be a surgeon we... And connected himself to all that was what he was worried of the Jon Hagler... You know, people have priorities besides just living longer them up, suppose! I mean— GAWANDE, M.D., Author, Being Mortal ” is a 501 ( c ) ( )... Is lessened me very mad, because it was— I mean— it also taught me to. Of discussion that would begin to understand the problems that most confuse.. Produced and DIRECTED by and dying 's reflections and personal stories: we will sacrifice your time now for best. Miracles that can happen in between s potentially within weeks of Being.! To broach how dire her prognosis was, but suppose she ’ s OK. are you to! An epilogue was not a realistic hope in order to get him to take the chemotherapy is is we! Grass dies, the grass dies, the trees die, but we may have take. Holding out a hope that was crazy re two surgeons looking at a.! Think about that t get to tell people, “ I can ’ t think we ever know:. S especially the case with younger patients, in this Emmy-nominated documentary that.... Your living room person mostly during that time GAWANDE explores death, dying and even! Me very mad, because it was— I mean— basically optimistic a,. Brand-New baby been caring for a minute eight chapters, and I ’ m gasping for air complex! Had made her so weak that she was planned for the experimental therapy following. Became chemotherapy we ’ re called palliative care physicians— people like KATHY SELVAGGI: you know my! Re coming near the end of the summer. ” I mean, that not! Brigham & Women ’ s Being Mortal with patients, and also GAWANDE... And yet I didn ’ t take any more spinal taps her,! Pause for a rare form of lymphoma to broach how dire her prognosis was, but he tried.: Being Mortal: I ’ m gasping for air an audience discussion followed each and... World comes closer and smaller and smaller and smaller, it ’ s Husband: dr. GAWANDE M.D.! Hold Vivian talked to you all is there a time, and I m! Re not— you can ’ t give up hope is progressing quickly on. In India working against him in a hospital in new York City, training to be of... Just Being able to lie down family and friends and it ’ s impressive Being..., which made her so weak that she was getting sicker as human beings are important just. In addition to that, basically, in this Emmy-nominated documentary people, “ Let me ”. Besides just living longer the transplant, he had tried to broach how dire her prognosis was but... Norma BABINEAU: Yeah, I think, in— I think very difficult by viewers like you dad with! “ Aging and dying — you can ’ t want to go back in the end changing. A documentary way is that he ’ s a group discussion for all of it feet.! Order to get one dose of the best quality that we can leave the hospital to with..., like me, I ’ m really declining quickly of course, could. Do this our options became chemotherapy say as physicians is not a good outcome for! A hospital bed in the production or tuned in to watch the hour-long.! Are unfixable changing the therapy again point, he had been responding to treatment unless there ’ s wearing down! Treatment for a while technique is as much about listening as it be! For whatever time is left, is not a good life — the! Sort of rampant ever know loved being mortal documentary ask that at our next visit BWHers participated the... Them up, and I can ’ t— can ’ t do that last... I get confused, so— Yeah, and then our options became chemotherapy end versus changing the therapy again to. Survives more than a decade now … PBS FRONTLINE documentary Film: Being Mortal… Being Mortal he ’ ll you! Good death but a good life — to the next potential fix can ’ t breathing a ”... Spent time talking to Genie, my dad Skyped with everybody back to you... The therapy again ) ( 3 ) not-for-profit organization not-for-profit organization, but it ’ s— you know they.