Anatomy Of Hope Essay

Words: 460
Pages: 2

Have you ever wondered what hope is or what role hope plays in coping with illness? In the novel, Anatomy of Hope, Dr. Jerome Groopman tackles these questions by assessing some of his previous cases and the factor hope played in each case. Dr. Groopman, an oncologist and hematologist, has treated many patients with life threatening illness. Dr. Groopman defines “hope is the elevating feeling we experience when we see--in the mind's eye--a path to a better future (p. 3).” The novel concludes with data that supports the thesis that being hopeful is beneficial during the treatment process. I appreciated that Dr. Groopman not only provided scientific data, but stories of the patients he treated. The case studies followed each person through …show more content…
Groopman as not only his views of hope are evolving, but as the doctor’s scope of treatment changes. Dr. Groopman even shares his own story of how his continuous debilitating back pain caused him to lose hope temporarily.
The novel also defines the different types of hope. False hope is when the patient fails to acknowledge the seriousness of the disease and to cooperate fully in treatment. True hope understands that medicine may be powerful enough to delay or prevent death. As a speech-language pathologist, it will be beneficial to understand the difference between true and false hope. Where a patient lays on the hope continuum influences our treatment plan. For example, a patient with false hope may not participate provide example here…
The Anatomy of Hope provided an interesting take on the role hope could play in a therapy session. As a speech-language pathologist, I will be treating patients who have a disorder. Some of these patients may even have a life-threatening disorder. Counseling would be a major component of these sessions. This novel made me ask myself, “How much do I value hope?” when treating a patient. In addition, how will the patient’s hope affect the treatment process? How should I tell a patient bad news? These are all questions that needed to be assessed when treating a