Page 25 - Sphere No.17 (Sep 2006)

SPHERE 23
■ Case Study 1
Both my wife and I are disabled in our lower limbs, and we
depend on social security assistance for our livelihood. After
my wife Chen Weizhen developed breast cancer, her mount-
ing medical bills added further to our already severe financial
hardship. During the terminal stage of her cancer, when she had
brain lesions, her whole body went into spasms. When I saw
her excruciating pain and thought of the prohibitive medical
expenses, I felt so desperate and helpless. It was then that you
came and helped us by conscientiously making house calls and
dispensing free medication. I am so grateful to you for the pro-
fessionalism and care you showed us. You came just when we
needed you.
— ChenWeizhen’s husband
Patient details
ChenWeizhen, female, Guangzhou, Guangdong
Aged 41, deceased, breast cancer and brain lesion
She was disabled and so is her husband
■ Case Study 2
...After that, I underwent one medical treatment after another.
Radiotherapy, chemotherapy, Traditional Chinese Medicine,
western medicine...I tried everything, but they did not stop my
condition from getting worse. The illness itself was nothing to
be afraid of; what scared me was the pain. I was in so much pain
that I wanted to die. It was only when I was prescribed the drug
MS Contin that I became free from the pain. It really took away
my pain.
— Zhang Meng
Patient details
Zhang Meng, female, Lanzhou, Gansu
Aged 35, deceased, breast cancer patient from a financially
distressed family
■ Case Study 3
...Just when I thought my situation was beyond hope, when all
I wished for was a quick death, angels in white gowns came to
my aid. Professor Cui, the head of the hospice at your hospital,
led a medical team all the way from Shenyang to my house
and treated me free of charge. They gave me free doses of MS
Contin and I was amazed at the immediate effectiveness of this
strong painkiller. My pain was significantly reduced.
— Cui Hongwen
Patient details
Cui Hongwen, male, Faku, Liaoning
Aged 56, deceased, bladder cancer
■ Case Study 4
...The first one to receive me was Dr Shen. She listened patiently
to the patient’s symptoms and prescribed medication according
to each patient’s condition. We were thrilled that our father’s
condition was brought under control and he could sleep peace-
fully. The excruciating pain that he had suffered was lessened
considerably. Our family’s greatest wish was for our father to
suffer less pain during his final days.The hospice was a godsend
to our family.
— Daughter of Wang Shuangqing
Patient details
Wang Shuangqing, male, Shanghai
Aged 52, deceased, retrenched worker with terminal-stage lung cancer
volunteer their love and kindness to these patients with-
out expecting any reward, in the hope of lessening their
pain, allowing them to regain their dignity and alleviat-
ing the mental anguish of their families; to all of them I
say: You are the greatest.”
Physical and psychological needs
Mr Li pays close attention to the details of the services the
hospices provide. His instructions state that they must
use the most effective anaesthetics. “If there is a drug that
“While serving over 14,000 cancer
patients every year, I hope
my programme will considerably raise
the public’s attention on hospice.”