I'm still shaking as I read this article on AOL this morning. All I know is that action must be taken NOW in the treatment of spinal cord injuries, so that at the very least, some other choices exist. The lobbyist leeches and the pharmaceutical companies better get it together… Soon!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/15/paralyzed-artist-christin_n_1279573.html?ref=email_share
Hey, wow, this is a really sad story. Thanks for sharing this Sherri.
ReplyDeleteYea I was stunned by the story...still am
ReplyDeleteCognitive Dissonance Revisited
ReplyDeleteThis week, each of our group members agreed to write a reflection on our individual experiences in MDST 485. Looking back, I realized I have been experiencing cognitive dissonance. This is especially evident when I think back to the article about the young teacher and artist, who became a quadriplegic, and she later decided to take her own life. Yes, I still am shocked and saddened by this story. Yes, I am still angry and frustrated by the medical community's complacency.
Yet, there is the empathetic side of me that somewhat understands Symanski's choice to take her own life. The lack of independence for the most basic activities, such as eating, can be difficult to deal with. I am not endorsing what Christina Symanski did, but as a fellow human being, I empathize with comparisons the mind makes of the past and present. If you cannot come to terms with then and now; reconciliation is just a word and nothing more.
Her disability may have thrust Symanski into a world full of contradictions. “We love you, we want you to be part of our lives," her loved ones said. Perhaps Symanski struggled to balance this love with society's unspoken discomfort with Symanski's fate. Symanski participated in society, but due to her disability, perhaps felt, held at arm’s length. The biggest injustice of all, Symanski did not have the opportunity to attempt to heal her body through stem cell therapy.
In this context, the medical community did only the bare necessities for Symanski to survive. Her diving accident and the thought of going through life without a companion may have proved too much to bear. Again, I cannot stress enough my sadness for what Symanski did, but at the same time, I would not want another person deciding whether I should live or die.
Symanski felt taking her life was the logical choice so that she would no longer burden her family. Obviously, Symanski's mother had some cognitive dissonance as well. To bring a child into this world with all its pain, happiness, and hardship is something to acknowledge. Yet, your adult child dies in your arms by her own choice. Did the world around her treat her like a superhero or a fragile doll? If so, Symanski’s identity withers in the shadow of these two extremes. Symanski's mother loved her enough to let her go, but I would never want to be a mother in the same position.
The medical community cloaks its indifference, and continually tells Symanski," everything is gonna be okay." For a time, it probably was okay, until perhaps Symanski realized her medical condition was not going to improve anytime soon. Granted, all of this is speculation, but it gives me plenty of justification to continue supporting the GUSU cause, somehow. It upsets me that I even have to think about this.
The true nature of my support to GUSU is yet to be determined, but I'll just keep plugging away, until my role presents itself. I still stand by my initial reaction to the Symanski story. Everyone deserves a choice in the treatment of his or her spinal cord injury. I'm not going anywhere, until that happens.