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SERVING THE UNDERSERVED

Will to survive

Kristene “Kris” Diggins, nurse practitioner

by Kristene C. Diggins

The human spirit’s will to survive is evident when one faces the diagnosis of a terminal illness, and it is often our privilege to see this in our patients. The drive to fight for life exists in all of us, and the challenge is to nurture this fight in patients who come across our paths.
 
One patient, in particular, stands out in my mind as a perfect example of the human spirit’s resilience. Her name was Melody, and she had faced breast cancer five years earlier. Melody often came to the surgeon’s office where I worked to follow up on her breast cancer surgery. Many times, she would bring her two very active boys, and they would entertain the office staff while Melody visited with the surgeon.

One day, she came to the office to get the biopsy report of a lump in her midchest, and I sat in the room with her when the surgeon told her the cancer had returned. When she heard the news, there was a look of disbelief on her face, followed by a total change in her demeanor. In a split moment of time, her look of shock was replaced with a look of determination. She had a will to survive and a fight that so obviously came from deep within.

She had many questions about the prognosis of her cancer, and she asked for all the treatment options available. As she asked these questions, I remember hearing her boys still playing actively in the waiting room, and the sound of their running feet seemed to empower Melody. She chose the most aggressive route of treatment.

As she walked out of the office, I was amazed at the courageous attitude she displayed in the face of a grim prognosis. She kept this will to fight within her spirit even when her body was feeble and frail, and all her physical strength had drained. Her family witnessed that determination until the end of her life, and she encouraged all who knew her.
 
I often think of stories like Melody’s and am reminded of how many patients I have seen display a similar determination to survive. Some win the fight, and others do not. As nurses, we can help our patients discover and nurture their will to survive. There is much that we can do to promote the drive to survive. As our patients’ advocates, may we never squelch this drive, but rather help our patients discover it, even if it is buried deep within. RNL

—Kristene C. Diggins, RN, MSN/FNP, operated a small rural clinic in the Amazon jungle for eight years, where her duties included dispensing medications, suturing, ordering diagnostic tests and extracting teeth. During the past nine months, while living in the United States, she has gained additional knowledge about treating chronic conditions, which she hopes to apply when she and two physicians return to her clinic for a brief period in the latter part of June. During that time, they expect to see more than 1,000 people for health conditions that include tuberculosis, ameba, leishmaniasis, impetigo, scabies and malaria.

“For many of these people, this is their only opportunity to receive health care,” writes Diggins. “They may possibly never see another clinician in their life. The difficulty lies in trying to do the best we can for each person, with no tests available and such a limited time frame to see everyone (five to 10 minutes per person). We start working almost the same day after our 30-hour trip [from the United States to Porto Velho, Rondonia, Brazil]. For me, it’s the dental extractions that are the most tiring—my hands start shaking and I usually end up having someone grab my hand and hold it steady while I extract teeth.”