What would you do if you became a doctor and patient simultaneously?
Paul Kalanithi is a neurosurgeon who had IV lung cancer at the peak of his career as a doctor. Before earning his degrees in Science and Medicine, he earned his degrees in English Literature, Biology, History, and Philosophy. He switched to Science and Medicine because for him, neurosurgery "seemed to present the most challenging and direct confrontation with meaning, identity, and death." By operating a person's brain, neurosurgeons "work in the crucible of identity." Since the cognitive system "mediates our world experience, any neurological problem forces the patient and the family, ideally with a doctor as a guide, to answer the question: what makes life meaningful enough to go on living?".
In the past, as a doctor, he thought that death was inevitable but not before his eyes. However, his initial view of death changed after he found out that he had IV lung cancer at the age of 36. He's previously viewed death as something certain but not in sight making him unable to give meaning to life properly. This view was certainly very different when he became a patient. Since living as a doctor and patient, he has come to appreciate life more and give it meaning. For the rest of his life, he tried to find what was important and what made his life worthwhile. This search was like finding puzzle pieces and assembling them into a complete puzzle, which resulted in two important decisions; having a child and writing this book.
Interestingly, this book reflects his love for literature, which made him survive in the face of death. Kalanithi created this book as a story of his journey as a doctor and patient. For me, this novel is outstanding because it opens the doctors' viewpoint about how the patients are suffering from their diseases, and makes the doctors realize how terrible it is to wait for death. Through this, he also teaches us more about living this life with positive and moral things.
The series of words written philosophically and intensely is excellent but quite heavy for some readers. Unfortunately, Kalanithi hasn't had time to finish this book so his wife wrote the ending instead. Therefore, the book's ending seems rushed and leaves a message that is not very deep.
Totally, I give four-point five stars out of five to the whole story because it amazed me about his struggle in life and made me realize how hard it is to be a patient. Extremely, I highly recommend this book to those who want to learn about life differently.
