삶이 21일밖에 남지 않았다면 우리는 무엇을 할까? 생의 마지막 순간을 아낌없이 내어준 이들이 전하는 삶의 비밀... (KBS 20171028 방송)

Documentary Empathy - I Love You Before It's Too Late What would we do if we had only 21 days left to live? What does it mean to give our all until the last moments of our lives? Hospice is a place to temporarily stay at the end of life and prepare for farewell. Terminal patients facing death stay in hospice wards for an average of 21 days. There, patients and their families await their final farewell, saying that only with death upon us can they reflect on the things that are most precious. From pain management and the stages of death, to hospice information, to attitudes toward farewell, to the secrets of life shared by those who generously gave their final moments... In late autumn, we encounter the brilliant drama of life through the lives of families journeying through bereavement. ■ A Time of Reflection and Concern about "How We Will Die" No one wants to waste their final hours in pain and despair. Time is limited. In that precious time, everyone has things they must do. However, we usually face death after a long medical struggle until the inevitable happens. South Korea is the country with the highest use of chemotherapy in the world, eleven times that of Canada and four times that of the United States. 24% of terminally ill cancer patients receive chemotherapy up to two weeks before death. Four out of ten cancer patients (42%) are not accurately told that their days are numbered. One in three deaths are on life-sustaining treatment until the very end... Only one in ten cancer patients uses hospice care—a tiny minority. Compared to countries considered advanced in death, this rate is only one-seventh. Without any preparation for farewell, they struggle in pain, receiving treatment until death, ultimately leaving their loved one behind. Ultimately, after death, they reflect on their failure to love more. For those with limited life left, quality is more important than quantity! ■ “Hospice cares for the heart and soul of terminally ill patients.” When prescribing chemotherapy, there comes a point where the treatment no longer provides treatment benefits but only side effects. This stage is considered "terminal," and from this point on, the average survival time drops to about 11 weeks. Life-sustaining treatment at this stage is said to have little therapeutic effect. It simply prolongs the dying process. Not being able to let go of a terminally ill cancer patient may stem from meaningless guilt. Instead, pain management and support can help them live a good life to the end. The misconception that hospice is a place to wait for death, that it's impossible to provide anything for them, that it's expensive, and that it's impossible to stay with their family. ■ A Prepared Farewell Patient Kang Shin-guk and his family calmly accepted their remaining days. In the hospice ward, this family is known as the "loving couple." Kang Shin-guk, always with a bright smile, and his loving wife by his side... After being diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, the couple boldly refused chemotherapy and began preparing for a "good death." They say they were able to face death with composure because they had always lived with a prepared mind. ■ I Should've Said It Sooner The wife, who had been transferred to several hospitals in search of a complete recovery, is now unconscious after arriving in the hospice ward late. And beside her stands her husband, regretting the many things he had left unsaid. I had hoped they would have a chance to meet and exchange words, but she refuses to wake up. She says she deeply regrets not having expressed her feelings sooner... The husband begins writing and reading letters to his wife every day. ■ The Last Doctors and Nurses of My Life Professors Kim Young-seong and Park Young-min and the nurses at the National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital Hospice Center, as well as social workers, clergy volunteers, and caregivers, their concerns differ slightly from those of the medical staff in the general ward. In the general ward, they inquire about the severity of the patient's illness, but here, they consider the person's life issues together. Preparing for death is not just about the physical or the individual patient. Their goal is to live happily, painlessly, until the very end. #Life #Farewell #TheLast