No, it's not something that happens in an airport, it's the phrase that the Surgical PA (which I presume means "surgical physician's assistant") uses to lay the psychological foundation before telling you that you must decide if your beloved wife is going to die.
The management of breaking the bad news would be interesting to study and reflect upon if it wasn't happening to me. They used a committee approach, consisting of the surgeon, his PA, the oncologist, and a social worker. The latter was a woman, to add a dash of estrogen to deliberation. They were pretty efficient and practiced without being too cold or detached. They needed to put rational and emotional into synch, while not appropriating decisional authority to themselves. Not a trivial achievement, especially on regular basis.
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Dear Family: I was saddened by the news of Vaiva's death. It seems as if it was yesterday that Vaiva and I were working together on issues relating to Lithuanian communities. I was fortunate to be the president of the Lithuaninan Canadian Community at the same time as Vaiva was the president of the Lithuanian American Community. We worked together both in Lithuania and in North America. I admired her dedication and selfgiving to the people and nation we both loved. It was a joy and honour to have known her. I grew as a person working with Vaiva.
ReplyDeleteDear Family, please accept my sincerest condolences. In my thoughts and prayers I am with you at this time. May Vaiva rest in the bosom of her Lord. Her dedication will continue to inspire me. Ilsėkis ramybėje.
Rūta Žilinskas, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada