Roupen Odabashian: Questions asked by one of my patients who is undergoing a bone marrow transplant

Roupen Odabashian, Hematology/Oncology Fellow at Karmanos Cancer Institute and Podcast Host at OncoDaily, shared a post on LinkedIn:

“Can I pet my dog? Can I see my grandchildren? Can I swim in the pool?

These were not questions asked by one of my dying patients. They were asked by one of my patients who is undergoing a bone marrow transplant. The answer to all the above questions was no, at least for several weeks.  Sometimes death is not the most frightening part of being sick; sometimes, just not being able to enjoy life while being sick can be worse than death itself.

In my job, I have a unique perspective to see people when they are cured of cancer, and they ring the bell in their last chemo session. OR, On the other hand, I meet with them to discuss hospice care.
These unique moments make me think about the meaning of working hard and spending hours away from family or friends to achieve something, build a product, publish a paper, and even write my thoughts here. I haven’t found the right answer to where the sweet medium is. On one hand, life without purpose is meaningless, and on the other hand, life can be short and surprise you out of nowhere.

I am not sure how long I should work and how long I should rest, but I am happy to hear everyone’s thoughts if someone has found an answer.”

Source: Roupen Odabashian/LinkedIn