Summary

Atul Gawande realized something from the interactions he had with nursing home staffs and their residents. Physicians like Atul had to address the elderly person as a whole individual who may need medical care but who also needed focus on their desires, wants, ambitions and needs. A doctor had to be able to answer this question about an elderly patient: “When should we try to fix and when should we not?” (138)

Thirty-four year-old Sara Monopoli was pregnant and ready to give birth when it was discovered that she had inoperable terminal lung cancer. After delivering the baby, she was given one ray of hope. A variety of drugs were given to Sara that could prolong the life of young female nonsmokers with advanced lung cancer like Sara had. The chemotherapy didn't work; her cancer grew and spread and she grew sicker and weaker.

Sara...