Hi. I am Ashley York. I am a junior nursing major. I play tennis for the school. I'm interested with this class topic because I believe it ties into the field of nursing. I have gone through several deaths within my family through out my life. I lost my Aunt when I was in the sixth grade due to breast cancer. When she passed away, I of course questioned "why"?! Then I had a dream and it gave me reassurance that everything was going to be alright. Then about a year and a half later my Uncle passed away due to a bleed on his brain. I would have to say after experiencing death and dying at a young age, it helped me to form a stronger belief and faith in God. The loss of my Aunt and Uncle taught me to cherish every moment that I have with my loved ones that are still around me today. It also taught me that there is a time for everything, and everything happens for a reason. - Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Hi everyone! I am Kammi Neyman and am a junior biology/pre-physical therapy major with a gerontology minor. I am a cheerleader for Thomas More. The reason I am taking this class is for my gerontology minor. I have to learn how to deal and cope with death in my career. Over the summer I did an internship at a nursing home working in the therapy room. While there, I experienced the death of a resident and was able to learn a great deal for the therapists and how they were able to move on for the death. I have also had many experiences dealing with death in my family and also with my friends. This past year my close friends little brother died of leukemia. He was 11 years old and had been fighting cancer for 4 years. His parents took him off life support after he had been on it for a while. This was an emotional time for me because it is hard to accept the death of a child, let alone one who had died from cancer. Also this summer, my neighbor passed away. She had been my neighbor my whole life and was diagnosed with liver cancer. She was given 3 weeks to live when she was diagnosed in October 2010 and ended up living far past then. Experiencing many deaths has made me realize anyone is capable of dying at anytime. I just have to appreciate the time I have with my loved ones.
Hey everybody! I'm Jaime Knolle and I'm a senior nursing major. The reason I'm taking this class is because I feel like I could learn how to take an approach to deal with death that could help me later on in the future with patients and their families. I haven't had a lot of experiences with death, but the experiences I have had were not the best experiences in the world. My grandpa was the first death I experienced. The day he died I was supposed to visit him in the hospital that night after school, but he died during a procedure earlier that morning. I was very upset because I didn't get to say good bye. Then, the same situation happened with my great aunt a year and a half ago. I found out she died after I took a final by my mom telling on my final. Even though I did not get to say good bye to these wonderful people, I have learned that they had a peaceful death which is all I could ask for them. You never know when someone can leave you, so make sure you enjoy every day you get to spend with that person.
Hey everyone! I'm Brittany Berry and I am a junior nursing major. The reason that I decided to take this class was because I feel like it pertains to my major, and death & dying has always been something I was curious about. I haven't had many experiences with death but the deaths that I have dealt with were not good, particulary two. It was one of my best friend's mother when I was in high school. She had been battling cancer since she was two, and at a Christmas party my junior year she announced that the cancer had returned. She was a fighter of cancer even up until she passed. I think the biggest thing that hit me was my friend coming out in the waiting room saying, "She's gone". I'll never forget that moment, and so far that has been one of the worst moments of my life.
The next death that comes to mind is the death of my first dog Pebbles. We had to put her to sleep after hearing that her kidneys were shutting down, and having multiple episodes of seizures. Even though she was a "pet" we really did consider her part of the family. Just like getting attached to people, we also get attached to animals. At least I do. But from these loses, I try to let everyone in my life know that I care about them and that they are appreciated. Don't take any day or anyone for granted, because who knows what the next day may bring.
My name is Michelle Lonnemann, and I am a junior nursing major. While I have been fortunate to have had very few (if any) deaths within my own family, I have been exposed to death and dying through the places that I have volunteered and worked. Working this summer on an Alzheimer’s and Dementia unit allowed me to work with those who were entering the lasts years of their lives. The job showed me how important human life is (no matter the stage) and the common humanity within all individuals. I was able to see the same emotions (fear, anxiety, happiness and sadness) within the residents that I saw in my own family and friends. The commonality of emotions showed me how easy it is/was to connect with all individuals (especially the residents) and made it very difficult when any of them passed away. By working with the residents, I was able to experience life through their aged and wise eyes, and celebrate each of their individual histories. Lastly, I was able to be a person in their last years that worked with them so that they received the dignity and respect that they deserved. I decided to take this philosophy class because it was highly recommended by the nursing professors and by others who had taken the class. After signing up in the spring, I became even more interested in end-of-life issues and processes after working with the elderly this summer. Lastly, death (and the preparation for it) is a large part of nursing. Due to this, I would also like to learn the many different views on death, the various cultural concepts of the afterlife, and how best to prepare for the inevitable.
Hi, my name is Gabrielle Reed. I am a junior biology student. I am hoping to someday be a veterinarian. My interest is in animals, however, I know this class will be useful because death is all around us. As Brittany noted, the loss of a pet is also difficult and I feel as if this class will help me deal with it and possibly aid others throughout the coping process. Unfortunately, I have not had the luxury of avoiding death in my family. Both of my grandparents on my dad's side have passed of heart conditions. My pawpaw died most recently, this past summer. His death was by far the most difficult thing I have ever had to face. He was the sweetest, funniest man I have ever met and I am grateful that he lived as long as he did. My cousin also died of a diabetic seizure when she was 21. Her death was difficult because of her age and it seemed as if she still had so much life left to live. However, as I get older I am better able to accept that death will come for all of us. I don't like to think about it but it is true. This is why I try so hard to live without regret meaning I watch my words, I keep my faith, I tell my family I love them, and I take advantage of opportunities that bring me true happiness.
Hey, my name is Jessica Weil. I am a senior elective sciences major, with a minor in gerontology and business administration. I am taking this class to fulfill my geronotolgy minor. I moved to Cincinnati about 6 years ago now, my dad got a promotion in his company. His main reasoning was that all of our family was here along with three living grandparents. Since then I have lost two of the three grandparents. My grandpa passed away when I was a junior in high school and I was completely distraught and angry, I never got to say goodbye because it was completley unexpected. My sophomore year in college I lost my grandma and this time it was "easier" (though a death is never easy) because we were expecting it and I had time to say goodbye. Earlier this month I learned that my other grandmother has bone cancer. The prognosis is not good and I know it will be difficult. I have found that with age I have found better ways to cope and grieve.I have learned a lot from the people I have lost and I know that they would want me to be happy and celebrate their lives. So I have learned that I need to take full advantage of any oppoutunities and to fully invest myself into everything.
Hello everyone! My name is Katlyn and I am a junior Business Administration major, with plans of pursuing higher education in health care management. The reason I am taking this class is because I thought it sounded like an interesting course that would give me a different perspective on death and dying. My experiences with death have been interesting ones. My grandfather passed away from colon cancer when I was only 6. He had come home from the hospital in the late afternoon and was in a hospital bed in the family room. We visited for awhile and we let him rest. By dinner time that evening, he was no longer with us. I remember crying and my uncle picked me up and swung me around in a circle. He was buried three days later on my birthday. I remember at the wake everyone sang happy birthday to me. Two years later, my great aunt (my grandpa’s sister) passed away from cancer as well and she too was buried on my birthday. Again it was a bittersweet day because I was happy that it was my birthday but also sad because another loved one had passed away. Each year on my birthday I celebrate my special day but I also remember those that are no longer with me.
Hi my name is Megan Grieshop and I am a junior Nursing Major. In taking this course I hope to gain insight on how others in the world view death and better be able to defend my own beliefs. I also hope that in understanding more about death and dieing I may better help my patients. As far as death goes, I have very little experience as I was too young to really understand what death meant the last time someone in my family died. However, my great grandmother is in her mid 90's and her condition has been growing worse over the last few years and many in my family fear her time is coming to an end. My great grandmother is someone who is very dear to me as she used to watch my sister and I and greet us everyday when we came home from school, the thought of losing her is terrifying. However, her quality of life lately has been so poor that I try to remember that everyone dies and that perhaps she will find a new peace in death.
Hello, my name is Sarah Mersch. I am a junior Medical Laboratory Sciences major. I have been very fortunate in that I have not had too many experiences with death. However, there are two memories that come to mind when I think of the subject. The first is the death of my family’s dog, Sadie. As a couple people have mentioned, we grow really close to our pets sometimes. She prematurely died in an accident. I’ll never forget that day. It’s been several years, but my whole family still misses her. The second memory is more recent. It was the death of Brenda Shuey. As many of you probably know, Brenda was a nursing student at Thomas More College. She died this past January. I was her lab partner in Medical Microbiology during the fall 2010 semester. She was extremely friendly, a great person to talk with, and easy to get attached to fast. Her death was a major shock for me, as it was for most people. I still miss seeing her smiling face in the hallways.
Hi Everyone! :) So this took forever for me to find out how to reactivate my account to blog from BioEthics. My name is Christy Green and I am a senior nursing major. I also play soccer for TMC's women's team. I have a few reasons for wanting to take this class. First, I loved BioEthics, which I took last fall, and how it made me really think about my position on certain subjects. Secondly I love listening and discussing topics that are so grey. It is so interesting to how others logically explain or fail to explain their beliefs. I also like to challenge myself and what I believe. Finally, I think that death and dying, a part of living, has a huge relevance to nursing as a profession. It is something that I will have to deal with when I graduate, and even deal with now as a nurse assistant. I have both personal experiences with my loved ones dying and my patients. I don't think that death will ever be easy for me, or that I will ever truly understand it. I don't know if its worse to ignore the fact that people die or to be numb to it. I apologize in advance for my horrible grammar/spelling. At least you don't have to read my hand writing! :)
Hi my name is Anne Schoettelkotte and I am a senior Environmental science major here at school. I am taking this class for two reasons. One because I have to, and two because I thought the topic would be interesting because I could relate it to my personal experience. When I was in the 5th grade, my dad passed away from a rare form of cancer called synovial sarcoma. I basically grew up watching him struggle with this disease and have many memories of him in which he is ill but tries to fight through it. When he died it was hard on all of us, however, I beleive this experience had a profound impact on making me who I am today. Death is a part of life that we must all come to terms with one day. I figure college is at least a good place to start exploring the topic.
Hi my name is Ashley Osbourn. Most people call me Ozzy because I rarely answer to Ashley. This is the second time I've wrote this because it got deleted last thing. However, I am a senior environmental science major with biology minor. I took this class first because the topic should be interesting and I think that everyone needs to come to terms with death and secondly, because it is required. I've had my fair share of experiences with death, as most of you probably have but I have grown from them and learned from them. My sister died when she was 5 months old and I was almost two years old. It may sound crazy but I remember her very clearly. I spent most of my time with her carrying her around and playing right by her side. My mom told me it was funny to see me carry her around because she was almost the same size as me so it looked like she was walking. But whenever I tell people I remember her they always say it's not possible because I was too young to remember but I do remember. She would have been 20 in July. My mom said that even at that young age I understood what happened because I would "draw" pictures of all of us and her as an angel. It's still difficult sometimes to think about her because I wonder what she would look like, would we get along, and what she would be like now. But it has made me stronger and made me realize that children do die, it's not just elderly people. I talked about my grandpa's death and aunt's death in class. This was difficult to deal with not really because of the deaths as much as how my aunts and uncles reacted and blamed my dad for murdering them both. As their medical proxy he had to obey what they wrote down and that is what he did. Overall, I think that our society needs to come to terms with death as a whole. We act like death doesn't happen but it is part of the life cycle and it happens to everyone whether we want to believe it or not. I think talking about death and accepting that it happens with help all of us deal with it better.
Salut! My name is Brittney Finke, I am working toward my BSN and a minor in Gerontology. Death has worn many different masks throughout my life. Growing up on a farm, the death of an animal was commonplace, the circle of life. On the contrary, death of a human being is much different as I came to experience when my great grandmother passed away when I was 8. As I reflect on the experience, I remember hearing the news and being confused that a human life could result in such an infinite ending. I remember not knowing how to act at the funeral so I simply watched others and cried when they cried, or dabbed at my eyes at the appropriate times. I oddly don’t remember feeling much besides confusion. The most life changing experience with death was when a life-long friend took his own life. Dread, was the only emotion I felt for days after I received the news. I couldn’t function, I cried til the tears literally dried up, for days I couldn’t remember what I was supposed to do, where to be what day it was, or even how to speak. Ultimately, the most harrowing thing about this loss was knowing my friend was experiencing so much pain he wanted to take his life, and no one realized it. On a different note, I decided on this class to help me understand death and the process of dying more thoroughly. I love old people and plan to work in a field closely associated with such patients. So this class will hopefully provide insight I will be able to share with my patients to help them cope with such daunting topics of death and dying.
Hello Everyone! My name is Matthew Williams and I am a senior Finance and Marketing student. As being 1 of 4 or 5 guys in the classroom I hope to get a better understanding of a girls perspective on these situations. Throughout my life I never had to deal with a loss in my family because the only person that passed away was my Grandmother when I was 5. But I remember the day like it was yesterday. She was watching my brother and I and she was about to take us outside when all of a sudden she had a heart-attack right in front of us. At the time I had no idea what was happening, all I was told was that I wasn't going to see her again. Throughout my life this is the only death I have seen so when people loss someone I couldn't tell them I know what you are going through or if it got better because I had no idea. When I was in eighth grade my brother went into a coma and the doctors had no idea if he would come out of it. I spent 2 months inside of the hospital before he finally woke up and this was the most challenging aspect in my life to think you are going to not only lose a brother, but a role model in life. Nine years later he is perfectly healthy and is in the best of spirits. These tests in life has only deepened my faith. Before these moments I only went to church on Easter and Christmas Eve, now I go every Sunday. I look forward to this year to get a better understanding of death and to share and listen to everyone elses stories.
Hi! I am Audrey McCabe. I am an only child in a large extended family and grew up with siblings being my pets :) I love my family and they are my greatest support system as well as my biggest stressors sometimes, but whose isn't really? My family is the reason why I am who I am today. I am a cheerleader at TMC and have been since my Spring semester of my Freshman year. I am currently a Junior nursing student and I love my decision. I chose this major because for a multitude of reasons. The major decision was based off of my grandparents on my dad's side. Throughout my entire life they had been in and out of hospitals for different reasons. When I was older and more able to help my grandparents out I did and because of that I realized that I had not only satisfaction of helping my grandparents but figuring out what I wanted to do with my life, even at the earliest age of 12. Granted I waffled back and forth with the idea of either Dr or nurse, finally I decided that I wanted a very strong relationship with my patients and from many different projects assigned throughout the end of grade school and high school I discovered that only nursing could bring me that. This class was suggested by my advisor as a really good and relative class to nursing so when I saw that I was able to fit it into my schedule I was excited for I was hoping that I would not only being doing a class that I would enjoy while eliminating a credit, but also being able to maybe understand certain parts of death I never understood before. My first death, besides my pets over the years, was my grandmother. She and I were very close and I had helped my aunt, also a nurse, with her a lot and grew even closer to her throughout the rest of her life. I was 12, almost 13 when she passed. I became an atheist after her death for a least three years, for I could not understand at the age of 12, how someone as sweet, caring, and loving as she was could be taken away from everyone who loved her. As I grew up and entered high school I realized that God did not take her, it was a normal biological process and God had nothing to do with it. My grandfather on the same side became progressively ill over time too and luckily did not pass until the Spring Semester of my freshman year so he was able to see me graduate high school and make it through my freshman year of college :) I have encountered 6 deaths in the past 1 1/2 years in my family so this class is going to be nothing but second nature, it seems, when talking about the dying and grieving process. Hopefully it will help me gain more insight to what i have experienced, help me deal with death of patients, and hopefully my experiences will give insight to others' experiences, etc.
Hey everyone. I am Sadie Grothaus and I am a junior biology major with a minor in gerontology. I am going to use this to go to graduate school for physical therapy. Here at Thomas More, I am in the biology club and pre-professional heath career club. I am taking this course to fulfill a requirement for the gerontology minor and because I think it seems interesting. I have not had to deal with death much in my life. My great grandparents died when I was young so I barely remember that. Everyone else I know is still alive. I am hoping this class will help me to see different perspectives of death, to be able to handle the inevitable losses I will face as well as to help others who are grieving a loss.
Hello everybody!. I am Sarah Allen, I am a senior nursing major. I am taking this class to fulfill my phi requirement. As for a death and dying experience, I have had a few deaths in my family, but not anyone I was extremely close to. I am a nurse aide for older people and my job is to help them in their homes with showering, feeding, cleaning, etc. I usually take care of the same few patients and have been doing so for about 4 years. Over the summer, one of the older ladies I take care of died while I was on vacation. I did not really know how to react but I was deffinately sad. I felt a little silly crying because noone at my worked acted like it was a big deal. It was hard for me because I never saw it coming and I guess I was so used to working for this woman that I didnt even consider when she may die. I hope to gain a better understanding of the dying process and hope to see what other people view death as, as well as other cultural views on death and dying.
Hi. I am Ashley York. I am a junior nursing major. I play tennis for the school. I'm interested with this class topic because I believe it ties into the field of nursing. I have gone through several deaths within my family through out my life. I lost my Aunt when I was in the sixth grade due to breast cancer. When she passed away, I of course questioned "why"?! Then I had a dream and it gave me reassurance that everything was going to be alright. Then about a year and a half later my Uncle passed away due to a bleed on his brain. I would have to say after experiencing death and dying at a young age, it helped me to form a stronger belief and faith in God. The loss of my Aunt and Uncle taught me to cherish every moment that I have with my loved ones that are still around me today. It also taught me that there is a time for everything, and everything happens for a reason.
ReplyDelete- Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Hi everyone! I am Kammi Neyman and am a junior biology/pre-physical therapy major with a gerontology minor. I am a cheerleader for Thomas More. The reason I am taking this class is for my gerontology minor. I have to learn how to deal and cope with death in my career. Over the summer I did an internship at a nursing home working in the therapy room. While there, I experienced the death of a resident and was able to learn a great deal for the therapists and how they were able to move on for the death. I have also had many experiences dealing with death in my family and also with my friends. This past year my close friends little brother died of leukemia. He was 11 years old and had been fighting cancer for 4 years. His parents took him off life support after he had been on it for a while. This was an emotional time for me because it is hard to accept the death of a child, let alone one who had died from cancer. Also this summer, my neighbor passed away. She had been my neighbor my whole life and was diagnosed with liver cancer. She was given 3 weeks to live when she was diagnosed in October 2010 and ended up living far past then. Experiencing many deaths has made me realize anyone is capable of dying at anytime. I just have to appreciate the time I have with my loved ones.
ReplyDeleteHey everybody! I'm Jaime Knolle and I'm a senior nursing major. The reason I'm taking this class is because I feel like I could learn how to take an approach to deal with death that could help me later on in the future with patients and their families. I haven't had a lot of experiences with death, but the experiences I have had were not the best experiences in the world. My grandpa was the first death I experienced. The day he died I was supposed to visit him in the hospital that night after school, but he died during a procedure earlier that morning. I was very upset because I didn't get to say good bye. Then, the same situation happened with my great aunt a year and a half ago. I found out she died after I took a final by my mom telling on my final. Even though I did not get to say good bye to these wonderful people, I have learned that they had a peaceful death which is all I could ask for them. You never know when someone can leave you, so make sure you enjoy every day you get to spend with that person.
ReplyDeleteHey everyone! I'm Brittany Berry and I am a junior nursing major. The reason that I decided to take this class was because I feel like it pertains to my major, and death & dying has always been something I was curious about. I haven't had many experiences with death but the deaths that I have dealt with were not good, particulary two. It was one of my best friend's mother when I was in high school. She had been battling cancer since she was two, and at a Christmas party my junior year she announced that the cancer had returned. She was a fighter of cancer even up until she passed. I think the biggest thing that hit me was my friend coming out in the waiting room saying, "She's gone". I'll never forget that moment, and so far that has been one of the worst moments of my life.
ReplyDeleteThe next death that comes to mind is the death of my first dog Pebbles. We had to put her to sleep after hearing that her kidneys were shutting down, and having multiple episodes of seizures. Even though she was a "pet" we really did consider her part of the family. Just like getting attached to people, we also get attached to animals. At least I do. But from these loses, I try to let everyone in my life know that I care about them and that they are appreciated. Don't take any day or anyone for granted, because who knows what the next day may bring.
My name is Michelle Lonnemann, and I am a junior nursing major. While I have been fortunate to have had very few (if any) deaths within my own family, I have been exposed to death and dying through the places that I have volunteered and worked. Working this summer on an Alzheimer’s and Dementia unit allowed me to work with those who were entering the lasts years of their lives. The job showed me how important human life is (no matter the stage) and the common humanity within all individuals. I was able to see the same emotions (fear, anxiety, happiness and sadness) within the residents that I saw in my own family and friends. The commonality of emotions showed me how easy it is/was to connect with all individuals (especially the residents) and made it very difficult when any of them passed away. By working with the residents, I was able to experience life through their aged and wise eyes, and celebrate each of their individual histories. Lastly, I was able to be a person in their last years that worked with them so that they received the dignity and respect that they deserved.
ReplyDeleteI decided to take this philosophy class because it was highly recommended by the nursing professors and by others who had taken the class. After signing up in the spring, I became even more interested in end-of-life issues and processes after working with the elderly this summer. Lastly, death (and the preparation for it) is a large part of nursing. Due to this, I would also like to learn the many different views on death, the various cultural concepts of the afterlife, and how best to prepare for the inevitable.
Hi, my name is Gabrielle Reed. I am a junior biology student. I am hoping to someday be a veterinarian. My interest is in animals, however, I know this class will be useful because death is all around us. As Brittany noted, the loss of a pet is also difficult and I feel as if this class will help me deal with it and possibly aid others throughout the coping process.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, I have not had the luxury of avoiding death in my family. Both of my grandparents on my dad's side have passed of heart conditions. My pawpaw died most recently, this past summer. His death was by far the most difficult thing I have ever had to face. He was the sweetest, funniest man I have ever met and I am grateful that he lived as long as he did. My cousin also died of a diabetic seizure when she was 21. Her death was difficult because of her age and it seemed as if she still had so much life left to live. However, as I get older I am better able to accept that death will come for all of us. I don't like to think about it but it is true. This is why I try so hard to live without regret meaning I watch my words, I keep my faith, I tell my family I love them, and I take advantage of opportunities that bring me true happiness.
Hey, my name is Jessica Weil. I am a senior elective sciences major, with a minor in gerontology and business administration. I am taking this class to fulfill my geronotolgy minor.
ReplyDeleteI moved to Cincinnati about 6 years ago now, my dad got a promotion in his company. His main reasoning was that all of our family was here along with three living grandparents. Since then I have lost two of the three grandparents. My grandpa passed away when I was a junior in high school and I was completely distraught and angry, I never got to say goodbye because it was completley unexpected. My sophomore year in college I lost my grandma and this time it was "easier" (though a death is never easy) because we were expecting it and I had time to say goodbye. Earlier this month I learned that my other grandmother has bone cancer. The prognosis is not good and I know it will be difficult.
I have found that with age I have found better ways to cope and grieve.I have learned a lot from the people I have lost and I know that they would want me to be happy and celebrate their lives. So I have learned that I need to take full advantage of any oppoutunities and to fully invest myself into everything.
Hello everyone! My name is Katlyn and I am a junior Business Administration major, with plans of pursuing higher education in health care management. The reason I am taking this class is because I thought it sounded like an interesting course that would give me a different perspective on death and dying. My experiences with death have been interesting ones. My grandfather passed away from colon cancer when I was only 6. He had come home from the hospital in the late afternoon and was in a hospital bed in the family room. We visited for awhile and we let him rest. By dinner time that evening, he was no longer with us. I remember crying and my uncle picked me up and swung me around in a circle. He was buried three days later on my birthday. I remember at the wake everyone sang happy birthday to me. Two years later, my great aunt (my grandpa’s sister) passed away from cancer as well and she too was buried on my birthday. Again it was a bittersweet day because I was happy that it was my birthday but also sad because another loved one had passed away. Each year on my birthday I celebrate my special day but I also remember those that are no longer with me.
ReplyDeletefrom Megan Grieshop
ReplyDeleteHi my name is Megan Grieshop and I am a junior Nursing Major. In taking this course I hope to gain insight on how others in the world view death and better be able to defend my own beliefs. I also hope that in understanding more about death and dieing I may better help my patients. As far as death goes, I have very little experience as I was too young to really understand what death meant the last time someone in my family died. However, my great grandmother is in her mid 90's and her condition has been growing worse over the last few years and many in my family fear her time is coming to an end. My great grandmother is someone who is very dear to me as she used to watch my sister and I and greet us everyday when we came home from school, the thought of losing her is terrifying. However, her quality of life lately has been so poor that I try to remember that everyone dies and that perhaps she will find a new peace in death.
Hello, my name is Sarah Mersch. I am a junior Medical Laboratory Sciences major. I have been very fortunate in that I have not had too many experiences with death. However, there are two memories that come to mind when I think of the subject. The first is the death of my family’s dog, Sadie. As a couple people have mentioned, we grow really close to our pets sometimes. She prematurely died in an accident. I’ll never forget that day. It’s been several years, but my whole family still misses her. The second memory is more recent. It was the death of Brenda Shuey. As many of you probably know, Brenda was a nursing student at Thomas More College. She died this past January. I was her lab partner in Medical Microbiology during the fall 2010 semester. She was extremely friendly, a great person to talk with, and easy to get attached to fast. Her death was a major shock for me, as it was for most people. I still miss seeing her smiling face in the hallways.
ReplyDeleteHi Everyone! :) So this took forever for me to find out how to reactivate my account to blog from BioEthics. My name is Christy Green and I am a senior nursing major. I also play soccer for TMC's women's team. I have a few reasons for wanting to take this class. First, I loved BioEthics, which I took last fall, and how it made me really think about my position on certain subjects. Secondly I love listening and discussing topics that are so grey. It is so interesting to how others logically explain or fail to explain their beliefs. I also like to challenge myself and what I believe. Finally, I think that death and dying, a part of living, has a huge relevance to nursing as a profession. It is something that I will have to deal with when I graduate, and even deal with now as a nurse assistant. I have both personal experiences with my loved ones dying and my patients. I don't think that death will ever be easy for me, or that I will ever truly understand it. I don't know if its worse to ignore the fact that people die or to be numb to it. I apologize in advance for my horrible grammar/spelling. At least you don't have to read my hand writing! :)
ReplyDeleteHi my name is Anne Schoettelkotte and I am a senior Environmental science major here at school. I am taking this class for two reasons. One because I have to, and two because I thought the topic would be interesting because I could relate it to my personal experience. When I was in the 5th grade, my dad passed away from a rare form of cancer called synovial sarcoma. I basically grew up watching him struggle with this disease and have many memories of him in which he is ill but tries to fight through it. When he died it was hard on all of us, however, I beleive this experience had a profound impact on making me who I am today. Death is a part of life that we must all come to terms with one day. I figure college is at least a good place to start exploring the topic.
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ReplyDeleteHi my name is Ashley Osbourn. Most people call me Ozzy because I rarely answer to Ashley. This is the second time I've wrote this because it got deleted last thing. However, I am a senior environmental science major with biology minor. I took this class first because the topic should be interesting and I think that everyone needs to come to terms with death and secondly, because it is required. I've had my fair share of experiences with death, as most of you probably have but I have grown from them and learned from them. My sister died when she was 5 months old and I was almost two years old. It may sound crazy but I remember her very clearly. I spent most of my time with her carrying her around and playing right by her side. My mom told me it was funny to see me carry her around because she was almost the same size as me so it looked like she was walking. But whenever I tell people I remember her they always say it's not possible because I was too young to remember but I do remember. She would have been 20 in July. My mom said that even at that young age I understood what happened because I would "draw" pictures of all of us and her as an angel. It's still difficult sometimes to think about her because I wonder what she would look like, would we get along, and what she would be like now. But it has made me stronger and made me realize that children do die, it's not just elderly people. I talked about my grandpa's death and aunt's death in class. This was difficult to deal with not really because of the deaths as much as how my aunts and uncles reacted and blamed my dad for murdering them both. As their medical proxy he had to obey what they wrote down and that is what he did. Overall, I think that our society needs to come to terms with death as a whole. We act like death doesn't happen but it is part of the life cycle and it happens to everyone whether we want to believe it or not. I think talking about death and accepting that it happens with help all of us deal with it better.
Salut! My name is Brittney Finke, I am working toward my BSN and a minor in Gerontology. Death has worn many different masks throughout my life. Growing up on a farm, the death of an animal was commonplace, the circle of life. On the contrary, death of a human being is much different as I came to experience when my great grandmother passed away when I was 8. As I reflect on the experience, I remember hearing the news and being confused that a human life could result in such an infinite ending. I remember not knowing how to act at the funeral so I simply watched others and cried when they cried, or dabbed at my eyes at the appropriate times. I oddly don’t remember feeling much besides confusion. The most life changing experience with death was when a life-long friend took his own life. Dread, was the only emotion I felt for days after I received the news. I couldn’t function, I cried til the tears literally dried up, for days I couldn’t remember what I was supposed to do, where to be what day it was, or even how to speak. Ultimately, the most harrowing thing about this loss was knowing my friend was experiencing so much pain he wanted to take his life, and no one realized it. On a different note, I decided on this class to help me understand death and the process of dying more thoroughly. I love old people and plan to work in a field closely associated with such patients. So this class will hopefully provide insight I will be able to share with my patients to help them cope with such daunting topics of death and dying.
ReplyDeleteHello Everyone! My name is Matthew Williams and I am a senior Finance and Marketing student. As being 1 of 4 or 5 guys in the classroom I hope to get a better understanding of a girls perspective on these situations. Throughout my life I never had to deal with a loss in my family because the only person that passed away was my Grandmother when I was 5. But I remember the day like it was yesterday. She was watching my brother and I and she was about to take us outside when all of a sudden she had a heart-attack right in front of us. At the time I had no idea what was happening, all I was told was that I wasn't going to see her again. Throughout my life this is the only death I have seen so when people loss someone I couldn't tell them I know what you are going through or if it got better because I had no idea. When I was in eighth grade my brother went into a coma and the doctors had no idea if he would come out of it. I spent 2 months inside of the hospital before he finally woke up and this was the most challenging aspect in my life to think you are going to not only lose a brother, but a role model in life. Nine years later he is perfectly healthy and is in the best of spirits. These tests in life has only deepened my faith. Before these moments I only went to church on Easter and Christmas Eve, now I go every Sunday. I look forward to this year to get a better understanding of death and to share and listen to everyone elses stories.
ReplyDeleteHi! I am Audrey McCabe. I am an only child in a large extended family and grew up with siblings being my pets :) I love my family and they are my greatest support system as well as my biggest stressors sometimes, but whose isn't really? My family is the reason why I am who I am today. I am a cheerleader at TMC and have been since my Spring semester of my Freshman year. I am currently a Junior nursing student and I love my decision. I chose this major because for a multitude of reasons. The major decision was based off of my grandparents on my dad's side. Throughout my entire life they had been in and out of hospitals for different reasons. When I was older and more able to help my grandparents out I did and because of that I realized that I had not only satisfaction of helping my grandparents but figuring out what I wanted to do with my life, even at the earliest age of 12. Granted I waffled back and forth with the idea of either Dr or nurse, finally I decided that I wanted a very strong relationship with my patients and from many different projects assigned throughout the end of grade school and high school I discovered that only nursing could bring me that. This class was suggested by my advisor as a really good and relative class to nursing so when I saw that I was able to fit it into my schedule I was excited for I was hoping that I would not only being doing a class that I would enjoy while eliminating a credit, but also being able to maybe understand certain parts of death I never understood before. My first death, besides my pets over the years, was my grandmother. She and I were very close and I had helped my aunt, also a nurse, with her a lot and grew even closer to her throughout the rest of her life. I was 12, almost 13 when she passed. I became an atheist after her death for a least three years, for I could not understand at the age of 12, how someone as sweet, caring, and loving as she was could be taken away from everyone who loved her. As I grew up and entered high school I realized that God did not take her, it was a normal biological process and God had nothing to do with it. My grandfather on the same side became progressively ill over time too and luckily did not pass until the Spring Semester of my freshman year so he was able to see me graduate high school and make it through my freshman year of college :) I have encountered 6 deaths in the past 1 1/2 years in my family so this class is going to be nothing but second nature, it seems, when talking about the dying and grieving process. Hopefully it will help me gain more insight to what i have experienced, help me deal with death of patients, and hopefully my experiences will give insight to others' experiences, etc.
ReplyDeleteHey everyone. I am Sadie Grothaus and I am a junior biology major with a minor in gerontology. I am going to use this to go to graduate school for physical therapy. Here at Thomas More, I am in the biology club and pre-professional heath career club. I am taking this course to fulfill a requirement for the gerontology minor and because I think it seems interesting. I have not had to deal with death much in my life. My great grandparents died when I was young so I barely remember that. Everyone else I know is still alive. I am hoping this class will help me to see different perspectives of death, to be able to handle the inevitable losses I will face as well as to help others who are grieving a loss.
ReplyDeleteHello everybody!. I am Sarah Allen, I am a senior nursing major. I am taking this class to fulfill my phi requirement. As for a death and dying experience, I have had a few deaths in my family, but not anyone I was extremely close to. I am a nurse aide for older people and my job is to help them in their homes with showering, feeding, cleaning, etc. I usually take care of the same few patients and have been doing so for about 4 years. Over the summer, one of the older ladies I take care of died while I was on vacation. I did not really know how to react but I was deffinately sad. I felt a little silly crying because noone at my worked acted like it was a big deal. It was hard for me because I never saw it coming and I guess I was so used to working for this woman that I didnt even consider when she may die. I hope to gain a better understanding of the dying process and hope to see what other people view death as, as well as other cultural views on death and dying.
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