Previous
Palliative Care
Someone who is quadriplegic is paralyzed in all four limbs. In Being Mortal, when Gawande’s father learns that he has a spinal cord tumor, he fears becoming quadriplegic more than anything.
Quadriplegic Quotes in Being Mortal
The Being Mortal quotes below are all either spoken by Quadriplegic or refer to Quadriplegic. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 7 Quotes
I realized then that my father had already told us what to do, just as Susan Block’s father had. My dad was more afraid of becoming quadriplegic than of dying. I therefore asked Benzel which posed the greater risk of his becoming quadriplegic in the next couple months: stopping or proceeding? Stopping, he said. We told him to proceed.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
When complications arise during Gawande’s father’s surgery, Gawande expresses his relief that he had a conversation about his father’s priorities prior to the surgery. As such, Gawande is able to make an informed decision about the surgery based on that conversation, highlighting the importance of being able to confront difficult topics before crises occur. Only then can people like Gawande’s father live out his final days and die in the way that he wishes. This is made even more evident after the surgery—because of Gawande’s decision, his father survives and he doesn’t lose any motor function, as they feared. Although Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Duci
We witnessed for ourselves the consequences of living for the best possible day today instead of sacrificing time now for time later. He’d become all but wheelchair bound. But his slide into complete quadriplegia halted. He became more able to manage short distances with a walker. His control of his hands and his arm strength improved. He had less trouble calling people on the phone and using his laptop. The greater predictability of his day let him have more visitors over. Soon he even began hosting parties at our house again. He found that in the narrow space of possibility that his awful tumor had left for him there was still room to live.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
After Gawande’s father begins hospice care, Gawande is amazed to see him markedly improve. This is another ringing endorsement of hospice care and other palliative care that acknowledges suffering and death rather than trying to avoid unpleasant inevitabilities. Such care can actually give people more liberty, well-being, and even more time. Because Gawande’s father was able to identify the things that mattered most to him, he was then able to accomplish his goals—things like having visitors and entertaining in the last few months of his life. His care also helped him avoid becoming more paralyzed and gave him greater clarity Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptat
Get the entire Being Mortal LitChart as a printable PDF.
"My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." -Graham S.
Quadriplegic Term Timeline in Being Mortal
The timeline below shows where the term Quadriplegic appears in Being Mortal. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 6
...that the procedure to remove the mass carried a 20 percent chance of leaving him quadriplegic, but without it he had a 100 percent chance of becoming quadriplegic. The evening before...
(full context)
Chapter 7
...often do so in stages. The operation also carries a 25 percent chance of causing quadriplegia or death.
(full context)
...to do. Gawande knows from their conversation that his father is more concerned about becoming quadriplegic than dying, and so he asks which carries the greater risk: stopping or proceeding. Benzel...
(full context)
...he has no more falls, which had each set him back severely. His slide into quadriplegia halts completely, and his control of his hands and arms improves. He even starts hosting...
(full context)
