'Living While Dying' The Story of Bruce Kramer

The story of Bruce Kramer's life after he was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) was narrated through a series of podcast episodes titled 'Living While Dying' by Cathy Wurzer. Bruce Kramer was diagnosed with ALS on December 6, 2010 and died at the age of 59 on March 23, 2015. Cathy became close friends with Bruce as his disease progressed throughout the years and she cultivated a very personal and informative story about how Bruce lived while dying with ALS. I listened to the first five episodes of this podcast and I chose to listen to Bruce's story because I wanted to understand the real and personal effects this disease has on a person. Often times when you begin to learn and understand a disease you are able to recognize the symptoms, the progression of the disease, treatment options, home modifications, etc. But to truly understand a disease you have to learn how it affects each person individually and the challenges they and their love ones will encounter along the way. 

The episodes I listened to touched on some very important phases of the disease, different subject matter, and feelings a person may go through once they have been diagnosed with a terminal illness. In episode two, Bruce explained that although he was the one personally suffering from the disease, it is ultimately a shared experience with the ones around you. This can be very hard for families and friends because once you reveal to them that you have a terminal illness, you bring them into your reality and they will be confronted with grief, denial, and pain. Bruce also explained that once someone has a disease or disability sometimes their person-hood is an after thought. It is important to remember that a disease or disability does not define someone's worth, it is just a part of who they are. 

Bruce truly believed in focusing on the "right now" after his diagnosis of ALS. He said that there is fear of the future and grief for the past, but having a terminal illness means that focusing on the present is the most important thing you can do. As an occupational therapist working with someone with a terminal illness, it is important for us to focus our client's attention on the here and now. Unfortunately the past cannot be changed  and the future can be unclear but focusing on the present can provide the client with a sense of purpose and hope. 

In episode four, Bruce made a statement that really stuck with me. He explained that problems shouldn't always be seen as something that has to be solved. Instead you should see a problem as something that can be worked through. Sometimes there are problems that cannot always be solved, but they can always be worked through. I think this is a great motto for occupational therapists. At times our client's may have different problems that they want solved quickly so they can return to what they perceive as "normal". But it is important to teach our clients that sometimes it is more beneficial to work through a problem instead of trying to solve it. This was a fantastic story that was really well told and I intend on finishing this podcast series. I encourage everyone to listen to this podcast series! 

Wurzer, C. (Executive Producer). (2010-2015). Living While Dying [Audio podcast]. MPRNEWS.

     https://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/07/07/living-while-dying-episode-1-diagnosis