Following the death of his mother, writer Susan Sontag, in 2005, from myelodysplastic syndrome, political analyst David Rieff wrote an article, "Illness as More Than Metaphor" that appeared in the December 5, 2005, issue of The New York Times Magazine. In it, he described his mother's final illness and discussed the experience from the perspective of a family member.
Mr. Rieff elaborated on these thoughts in his talk at The Art of Medicine series in February, reflecting on the moral and economic issues of access to healthcare and the inter-actions between patients and healthcare professionals. "The relationship of patients to their care is trying to find a balance that isn't passive," he said, "that isn't just allowing yourself to be moved along by other people's decisions -- no matter how much more they know than you do -- and at the same time not taking yourself for a medical professional."
The Art of Medicine Program is an ongoing series initiated by Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center medical oncologist Teresa A. Gilewski. "Our primary aim," said Dr. Gilewski, "is to broaden the perspective of Center professionals regarding the humanistic aspects of medicine, in particular, to sensitize participants to the suffering that accompanies illness."
