When Breath Becomes Air Reflection

Reflection of When Breath Becomes Air
The story of both a neurosurgeon and patient provides a unique understanding of the concept of mortality. There is a strong disconnect between patient and provider in health care today, yet Kalanithi offers a perspective anybody and everybody can relate to. I felt comfortable exploring death and mortality with Paul on his journey through what turned into terminal lung cancer, and questioned my values and faith along with him. This book delves into particularly difficult questions of humanity and purpose. I was forced to interrogate my understanding of not only death but also my faith in God. As I continue on this journey of discovery, I hope to find as much meaning and resolution in life as he did.
Being a neuroscience major gave me an instant connection to this book. Although I do not see myself as a surgeon some day, I do find myself asking questions similar in nature to the questions Kalinthi often asked. What is my purpose in this world? How do I find meaning in the suffering? Do science and faith in God coincide? As I continue to discover both the person I am and strive to be, questions of life, meaning, and death remain present in my life. In the midst of this search, I have found one notion to take solace in, and that is the …show more content…
When he discovered his diagnosis, he wasn’t consumed with rage or even fear; but rather concerned with the impact he could make with his time left. Often times, disease defeats the spirit. It has a way of consuming our thoughts and creating hate. This is when the importance of resilience became evident to me. I had a superficial understanding of the term until my first year of college. While researching for a leadership class, I came across an article discussing how our generation, the millennial’s, lack this particular trait. I took this statement surprisingly hard and wanted to learn more about what the term means and how to make it present in my