This book, When Breath Becomes Air, and this class, Human Anatomy is meant for those going into the field of health care. People who are going to become nurses, doctors, surgeons. The anatomy course is almost purely academic in that it teaches you the knowledge you need to know about the body. However, it doesn’t teach you about how to make decisions, interact with the real people you work with and care for, or live life outside of being medical professional. Paul Kalanithi has shared his insights of how to practice medicine in a realm of humanity.
First, Paul is a Christian. He introduces Part I of his book with a Bible verse: Ezekiel 37: 1-3. He sets up the book so that we know where some of his perspective comes from. At the beginning, Paul thinks he want to have a career in literature, but comes to realize that his true calling is in medicine, more specifically neurosurgery. As he is trying to understand life and death, he comes to realize one …show more content…
Neurosurgery requires a great deal of accuracy and precision. Paul was called to protect life by protecting the identity of the person, and in his thoughts, the soul of the person. Surgery could restore or reduce someone’s identity. That is why medicine is scared and “holy and wholly impossible: in taking up another’s cross, one must sometimes get crushed by the weight (98).”
Paul has his whole life planned out, and he has so much potential. When cancer strikes, his whole identity is shaken. He comes to recognize that identity may be who you are, but it is not static; it is a dynamic thing that is shaped and formed as you go through life. Neurosurgery seems to be out of the picture, but he still has hope for the future. He and his wife Lucy create a marriage that is stronger than ever. They find comfort and hope and meaning in each other. Where they both find true hope, in the midst of their situation, is in God and their family, especially their daughter,