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A review by thevagabondlawyer
That Good Night: Life and Medicine in the Eleventh Hour by Sunita Puri
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
It is rare to read a book that sparks so much hard thinking.
What does it mean to you have a good death? I don't think we ponder this much just because we have become profoundly detached from the reality of being mortal. How do we define suffering, whether it be emotional or physical? And in the face of adversity, what does a miracle look like to us? What does it signify to embody the spirit of a fighter? Yet, what if the miraculous seems elusive—what becomes our Plan B? If the pursuit of a miracle entails being tethered to a ventilator, sustained through a feeding tube, and reliant on dialysis, does such existence align with the quality of life one would desire while awaiting the elusive miracle?
In her book "That Good Night: Life and Medicine in the Eleventh Hour," Dr. Sunita Puri delicately navigates these complex issues with both elegance and a deep sense of humanity. She presents a unique perspective, encouraging a fusion of medical expertise with a compassionate understanding of human needs. Dr. Puri emphasizes the importance of recognizing what truly matters to each patient, empowering them to make choices that prioritize their values over medical interventions. Through open and honest conversations, even in the face of heartbreaking information, she strives to bridge the gap between medical advancements testing the boundaries of nature and the inevitable limits of human mortality.
Dr. Puri aims to shift not only the perspectives of her colleagues but, more significantly, those of patients and their families. She seeks to convey the message of palliative care, emphasizing its role in enhancing a patient's quality of life from the moment of a serious illness diagnosis, rather than just in the final months of life. Palliative care, she asserts, is not about hastening death, but neither is it merely about sustaining life without considering the genuine enjoyment of a valued quality of life.
A fascinating blend of memoir, spirituality, medicine, and personal encounters with patients, That Good Night is an important and beautifully written book - not just about dying and the limits of medicine, not just about fighting for longer life, but about living to the last with autonomy, dignity and joy, about fighting for the things that make life meaningful.
[You may want to check my Substack page, The Vagabond Reader. Thank you so much]
What does it mean to you have a good death? I don't think we ponder this much just because we have become profoundly detached from the reality of being mortal. How do we define suffering, whether it be emotional or physical? And in the face of adversity, what does a miracle look like to us? What does it signify to embody the spirit of a fighter? Yet, what if the miraculous seems elusive—what becomes our Plan B? If the pursuit of a miracle entails being tethered to a ventilator, sustained through a feeding tube, and reliant on dialysis, does such existence align with the quality of life one would desire while awaiting the elusive miracle?
In her book "That Good Night: Life and Medicine in the Eleventh Hour," Dr. Sunita Puri delicately navigates these complex issues with both elegance and a deep sense of humanity. She presents a unique perspective, encouraging a fusion of medical expertise with a compassionate understanding of human needs. Dr. Puri emphasizes the importance of recognizing what truly matters to each patient, empowering them to make choices that prioritize their values over medical interventions. Through open and honest conversations, even in the face of heartbreaking information, she strives to bridge the gap between medical advancements testing the boundaries of nature and the inevitable limits of human mortality.
Dr. Puri aims to shift not only the perspectives of her colleagues but, more significantly, those of patients and their families. She seeks to convey the message of palliative care, emphasizing its role in enhancing a patient's quality of life from the moment of a serious illness diagnosis, rather than just in the final months of life. Palliative care, she asserts, is not about hastening death, but neither is it merely about sustaining life without considering the genuine enjoyment of a valued quality of life.
A fascinating blend of memoir, spirituality, medicine, and personal encounters with patients, That Good Night is an important and beautifully written book - not just about dying and the limits of medicine, not just about fighting for longer life, but about living to the last with autonomy, dignity and joy, about fighting for the things that make life meaningful.
[You may want to check my Substack page, The Vagabond Reader. Thank you so much]