This is an inspirational tale of three people, faced with terminal illness, who find new meaning in life and the courage to deal with the challenge of living fully. The patients are Morrie Schwartz, a retired Brandeis University professor diagnosed with ALS, Shirley Waring, mother of 4 adult children who has leukemia, and William Meyer who has lung cancer. They are interviewed over a period of time to convey their reactions to their immanent deaths. They are intelligent articulate people determined to make the most of their terminal experience.
The terminal patients here are atypically intellectual. The tape would have benefitted by inclusion of a different personality type. With that one reservation, this is a very useful and illuminating tape. The voyagers maintain open minds, talking about the difficult and frightening aspects of dying. Along the way they share their most profound feelings.
This tape would be useful in training those who are going to work with the dying. It would also provide a good basis for a discussion group.
The subjects earn our sympathy and compassion. The tape ends without letting us know of their deaths, and in this way feels unfinished, but we would recommend it for the reasons mentioned above.
This tape is part of The Doctor Is In series, available through: Department of Visual Media, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, One Medical Center Drive, Lebanon, NH 03756, (603) 643-7400 (Voice), (603) 643-7404 (Fax)
