HW 26 - Looking back & forward in unit

During this unit I realized..

1. How easy it is for someone to die

2. How easy it is for some ne to get sick

3. Canada has free health care

4. People that  work in the health industry  will get a raise if they let someone die.

When I found this out, it made wish if only our bodies were able to not ever get sick, because once you get sick it eithers gets better or worse.( Which is scary to think about) . This was the unit I wanted to learn about because I lost family members I never met  but also  I know people who lost a family members and I didn't know how to react , It made me feel weird. When I hear one of family member is sick, it worries me because now I do understand what death is? (Concept of death) and from hearing other people experience how they deal with it. Honestly, I still wouldn't know how to react but my mind seems ready for the reality of death.  Death is real, and it’s up to a person to how they want to deal with it.  This is something I think about because my family generation is an elderly generation; I don’t have that much little cousins, but lots of older cousins, aunts and uncles. My brothers and sisters are all older than me. It makes think about in 20 years how my family is going to be…

What source(s) have been most helpful for you in coming to a deeper understanding of our culture's dominant social practices around illness and dying? How & why?

Watching some parts of sicko and the documentary. I noticed that in sicko it showed many different views of how everything is played in the health care service for the people. In the documentary, they spoke to their patients and try to make them understand what’s going to their bodies. But then again it’s just a daily routine in the hospital. I noticed if a person has a health care they need to get approved first, if not they will get rejected and have to suffer with their illness. In these movies doctors don’t want to play “God" so they need to hear from the person family or suggest another option. From these movies I thought to myself well why do Doctors want to be Doctors? If some don’t have the freedom to really help a person. The freedom and the choice to help… not just the freedom (Sicko).

Can we really understand death? Or a person we don’t know death experience? These are questions that I will think about but not sure how I will keep it to an understanding.

HW 21 - Expert #1

Leticia Pichardo:

Hi luz,

I'm here to give you feed back. I like the part when you said "She learned that being sad about something you cannot change did nothing but made you more miserable". Learning that in most of my classes, I was always the girl little taller and heavier then most people , I couldn't change that because I was ment to be tall and my body is not like everybody else,so this is something I accpected instead of makeing myself more miserable.

Another part that I liked " By accepting fate she found that she had some of the happiest times with her husband in all of their 26 years together". The reason why I enjoy reading this part is because you mentioned that accepting fate she found the happiest times being with her husband. I thought wasn't able to find another job, So I stood in Mcdondals longer which didn't make me happier.This not being happy is something I did not want to feel, so one day I went job searching and I got the job I wanted. Beth accepting her husband sickness didn't make her sad but closer to her husband.


You did well with connecting the emotions Beth had for husband and you tied it back with your emotions and your experiance.

-Leticia P




Hi Chris M,
Leticia Pichardo

I'm here to give you feed back.

I think you can expand more on "When the guess speaker explained that Erik would not let his older son come and visit him I couldn't understand why" Maybe can you mentioned why you dont understand? Would you want people to see you sick? Do you think there should have been another way?.How  would have delt if someone close to you did'nt want you see them? I think these questions could help to make your thoughts more into depth. then just stateing them and not really expanding your thoughts.

-Leticia p

This was not the hw. but I should still comment on what you have
I was bit confused about if you were talking about the experiance you have eating thanksgivig with your family or with another. I liked the part were you mentioned " The host had a tradition to eat all the food that was brought to the meal ,because if all the food was eaten it would bring good luck". The reason I think i would have been obligated to eat a lot of food too. To hear a person to have "good luck"seems like a good thing.

I think next time , you should  Structured
 more your thoughts so it could be a little bit more clear.Over all I liked reading your thAnksgivg blog.
-Leticia p





Henry (bro)
I think you provided a great example of a personal experience where you were unable to change a horrific situation. It clearly shows that you related to Beth’s story and had a very good idea of what she went through.

HW 22 - Illness & Dying Book Part 1 HW 23 - Illness & Dying Book, Part 2

HW 23 - Illness & Dying Book, Part 3
Précis:  This book is about a patient name Mcmurphy and his life in the mental institution, he actually thought that will be better than going to jail.  After a couple days in the mental hospital, he realized going to jail would have been better.  In this book he experience, having friends he never thought of and living a life that was unexpected.

Published: 1987

1 “.It’s still hard for me to have clear mind thinking on it. But it’s the truth even if it didn’t happen”(pg18) The reason why I like this quote, because it explains that the nurse can't define him because they don’t know his real life situation.  What happened in his life should not define him as a mental person.

2. McMurphy tells Harding that the meeting was a “pecking party”—the men acted like a bunch of chickens pecking at another chicken’s wound. He warns them that a pecking party can wipe out the whole flock( 35) The reason why I like this quote, is because this explains that in the mental hospital  they treat the patients as though they got problems instead of helping them  it becomes a" pecking party" the people with all the problems and the nurses are not help because they are in the movement of treating them not "normal"

3.  “They are tall and sharp and bony and their faces are chipped into expressions that never change, like flint arrowheads. Their eyes come to points. If you brush against their hair it rasps the hide right off you” (32)  I think this quote means that, the nurses walk around with no emotion and makes the patient feel scared instead having a comforting nurse it becomes uncomfortable and scary for them.

This makes it difficult to continue what is best for this person.  Or how can we shape the society into making an individual feel  “normal”  in their life, which im not sure is possible because in these institutions they make patients feel scared and not wanted. They drug and brain wash their minds, the patients “peck” and the nurses create the discomfort and let patients feel not “normal”

HW 23 - Illness & Dying Book, Part 2

Tuesdays with Morrie an old man, an young man, and life's greatest lesson by Mitch Albom

Published : 1997

publisher: Random House

Précis: So far in the book Mitch, has been there every Tuesday for morrie throughout his sickness. Mitch made a list of the things he wanted to talk to Morrie about:

1. Death

2. Fear

3. Aging

4. Greed

5. Marriage

6. Family

7. Society

8. Forgiveness

9. A meaningful life

Each chapter they spoke about the list Mitch made has Morrie gets older and sickness is slowly taking over Mitch helps out more. Mitch helps with massaging him, wiping his butt, adjusting his pillow. Their relationship becomes more meaningful when Mitch opens up and don’t feel embarrassed by helping Morrie out. Morrie every day is fighting to breath since ALS is started to take over his lungs, he takes long coughs and his hands is no longer to move, but his voice still lives.

1.       “Because it's the ultimate sign of dependency. Someone wiping your bottom. But I'm working on it. I'm trying to enjoy the process"... "Yes After all, I get to be a baby one more time"(pg.49). If were to read on more he explains how being a baby again is what most people want because being a baby is when we got the most affection between a mother and a child or a person that cares for the baby.  It’s a sign of dependency but we get care and love. This is what Mitch is now doing to Morrie, which shows love between the two. I also like his quote because it makes me think about when I was baby how much I enjoyed being with my mother and I never wanted to leave by her side.

2.       “But Giving to other people is what makes me feel alive. Not my car or my house. Not what Look like in the mirror. When I give time, when I can make someone smile after they were seeing sad, it’s as close to healthy as I ever feel”(pg.128) This quote I enjoy, because I also like the feeling when I make a person smile or when I’m doing something kind to a person. It brings a healthy vibe because I’m helping myself and the other person.

3.       “People haven’t found meaning in their lives , so they’re running all the time looking for it. They think the next car, the next house, the next job. Then they find those things are empty, too, and they keep running…once you start running, I said, it’s hard to slow yourself down.”(pg.136) when I read this quote, two questions popped up. When will the person stop running? Than how will the person be ever happy? The reason why I ask is because it not situation I think a person should be in.

Reading most of these chapters I laughed, I pictured an old professor and young man having the best time together, this book also made me think.  As I keep reading I try and relate his quotes to myself or think about how it’s applied to “our culture”. It’s true the things he said ,  but why is it so this can only work for certain people? In my world I believe people should always treat people with kindness, but can it really work? Do everybody deserve kindness and heart to heart conversation if a person were to listen.  I believe people are like this ( like Morrie) but it only works for “ their world” and I’m not sure what I mean by that…

HW 22 - Illness & Dying Book Part 1
Tuesdays with Morrie an old man, an young man, and life's greatest lesson by Mitch Albom

Published : 1997
publisher: Random House

Précis : Tuesdays with Morrie, is about an old man who took his illness and turned into the meaning of life. He would laugh and talk for hours, but it was never was a conversation that a person wanted to end because Morrie as a person he would leave a good feeling inside each person he spoke to.  Morrie before he got sick would spend his time dancing no matter how bad he was dancing is what Morrie wanted to do. While he was sick one of his best students Mitch Albom, who once lost contact got back to see his old professor "his Couch" he called him, it was a never ending bond. Mitch ended up seeing Morrie every Tuesday.  These Tuesdays turned into "Lessons in how to live". The more Mitch saw Morrie , Mitch would question his thoughts but that was Morrie purpose, he wanted Mitch to see things in a lovely way to get understanding of things and not just life eat you up.  Life is about love and interacting.

1. " Coach, he says. All right, I'll be your coach. And you can be my player. You call play all the lovely parts of life that I'm too old now" (Pg31). The reason why I like this line is because I thought of my past and present teachers and how each one affects me in different ways. To me they are role models.

2.  " The culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves. And you have to be strong enough to say if the culture doesn't, don't buy it" (Pg 42).  This quote came to my attention because I thought of myself when I'm in certain situations and how I deal with them.  When I do try hard and it’s something that I’m not passionate about or not so good at I tend to fail more than to achieve it. I guess, because I know I’m not good at it and “our culture" makes it feel as though it’s impossible to understand. This is why to me is “don’t buy it".

3. So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they're busy doing things they think are important. This is because they're chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote your-self to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning" (Pg 43) This one was my favorite because I thought of how I use to work so many days so that I can gain a lot of money, but in the end I was tried all the time and I wasn't giving nice energy to the people at work or at home for some reason I was moody person. When this was happening to me, people at worked wasn't being so nice to me and at home there were arguments for no reason. When I noticed this, I had to change my work days and I felt so much better and happy to see people.

Reading this book makes me think about my past and present teachers. Some days they were harsh and I would get mad, but it wasn't in the sense of hate and some days they were really nice.  Throughout the years, my teachers gave me comfort into believing and getting purpose of things.  In Tuesdays with Morrie, he gave Mitch a reason to keep seeing him on Tuesdays. Mitch saw Morrie as a coach. When Mitch knew that Morrie was slowly dying he wanted to become closer to him. Having this relationship benefited both partners in a loving way. Morrie illness made him a stronger person and Mitch “touchy-feely" person. When morrie went for the “Nightline" TV show,  Koppel spoke about what  will Morrie do when he can't talk no more, Morrie answered people will have to start asking him yes and no questions. When Morrie said this is made think about, it can't be the end of things until a person delta with their situation and figure out a way so it can cope with them.

HW 21 - Expert #1

1. Beth Husband foot blow up.
2. Eric was 90 pounds
3. Beth  didn't want her older son to see his father, while he was in college
4. Beth went to see a buddtist
5. Beth continued  to do her husband art work
6. Never spoke about his death comming
7. Eric was a jolly man, he was the man that every body liked
8. there was a stillness when he died

In class while Beth was talking, I'm thinking in my head "Wow she is a strong woman, but how is she able to talk about her husband death without crying". If I were to gone up there I would have been crying the whole time.  But I was crying inside, my heart hurt while she spoke about the experience of her husband death.  It surprised me when Beth mentioned her husband was about 90 pounds, when he died. The reason why it did is because it’s a difference between 200 and 90 pounds, she mentioned he died like a vegetable, I pictured once a healthy man and now just skin and bone. I never seen anybody so sick or knew anybody that had to stay in the hospital for a long period of time, but when my friend got food poisoning I helped him, with getting water. I made sure I was there and I didn't want to move. When Beth made sure she was by her husband side, I could tell they had a strong relationship and she wasn't giving up on him. I think that’s most important between people is to not give up on one another.  This is where people start to believe and say "things will get better" I don't think people should pretend if a person is sick to pretend they will get better.  When someone is sick it’s better to give positive energy and then your grief. This what Beth did. This also made me think about a friend I once had, He is an alcoholic I thought about him dying while Beth was talking. It made my heart hurt even more. When I was thirteen years old me knowing this person, I didn't want to be around him much because all he did was drink, but he wasn't a bad person he just needed a person to talk too.  He told me stories how he got his stomach pumped and every time I saw him he smelled and he was always sweating. At one point I felt so bad, that I did a whole search for a rehab for him, but he didn't listen.  I stop becoming friends with this person because I was young and I didn't understand why he couldn't stop if he knew his health was in danger, why continue harming yourself? I thought. He was coming to me, asking me to solve his problems and I couldn't. This made me uncomfortable. I couldn't help him with his problems all I could offer was to listen and be nice to him at the time.  I can say he is still alive, but Beth telling her story made me think about he can die too.

In our society, we try to make things work out best for the person is sick is by going to the hospital. Which can help, but there’s also something missing, which is faith and knowing will the person we care for die in a peace full death. This is where I believe spirituality grows and it’s important to have support for in ourselves. It’s like feeling pain for the person and yourself, but you want to stay strong so you look for messages that can help you.  This is where Beth talking about when she went to a Buddhist, I guess to feel support for her ?She talked about how the Buddhist told her  he would stop talking, and he would push away his arms in the air  as though he knew he was going to die pretty soon. This happened to her husband.  I would say I would so the same, to look for a message to help my sprit lift, so that my weakness don’t overcome me. Looking for medical help, I feel don’t help all the time because they just tend to drug you, and keep the person so that they can die in the hospital. Beth didn’t do this for her husband; she wanted to be by her husband side.  I don’t know Beth personally but her experience made me have questions about the purpose of life. Talking about her husband death was an experience for me.

HW 19 - Family Perspectives on Illness & Dying

Bienvenida : I know that dieng is natural, and I will  die later on in life. I'm not scared to die but I just want to live a long life, and not die soon like many other people I know.  I believe that dieing comes from a person being sick or it just being natural. When my mother died, I was sad and cried but  I can say that she lived for many years and she lived the life that she wanted. She was a happy women with all her kids that she rasied well. When someone dies I understand and at times its random , but theres nothing you can do to bring the person back.  But you can hold on to good memories. When I was child, my mother would make the best sweet potato soup when one of  us were sick but we all enjoyed it even if we weren't.  She will also give us homemade tea which she made from leaves from our orange and mango tree we had in the backyard. 

This is what my mother said about dieing and illness, when some one in the family got really sick my grandmother would take them to the hospital, but other then that they became well with homemade soup and tea.

 Si Leticia la muerte es natural pero alguien puede vivir para mucho tempio.