How Far Along Are You?

I took a deep breath before entering Mrs. Bell's room. I had not yet met this patient, and her nurse told me there were many concerned family members and church friends gathered at the bedside. I knew that Mrs. Bell's adult children were having difficulty coming to terms with the course of their mother's uterine cancer. She was dying, and her family and friends had come to pray and say goodbye. My role as a palliative care fellow was to try to make sure she was comfortable, and to help her loved ones through this time, to the extent they would allow.

I entered the room. All conversation stopped. I felt the eyes of perhaps 20 people on me. I grew increasingly uneasy. I was acutely aware of being the only white person in the room, and I felt all the more conspicuous with my pregnant belly.

“Hello, I'm Dr. Thomas,” I said, “I'm from the pain and palliative care team. I'm here to make Mrs. Bell as comfortable as possible, and to answer any questions you might have.” Continued silence. I shook hands with Mrs. Bell's 3 children. I went …