Matthew O’Reilly is a veteran emergency medical
technician in New York. In this talk, he describes what happens next when a
gravely hurt patient asks him: “Am I going to die?” As a first responder in a number of grave incidents in the past 7 years, he frequently
saw people death and here he shared with us what is his finding/learning of
people reaction while they have minutes left to die.
(Matthew O’Reilly在紐約長島一間醫院服務, 從事緊急災難事故現場的第一線醫護救援工作. 在過去七年中, 因他的工作性質, 他常常被事故現場傷勢十分嚴重的病人問同一個問題 [我是不是快死了？] Matthew分享我們他如何面對和從瀕臨死亡病人身上得到的反應及啟示)
Speaker Notes
Throughout his career,
he has responded to a number of incidents
where the patient had minutes left to live and there was nothing he can do for them. With this, he was
faced the dilemma: Should
he tell the dying that they are about to face death? Or should
he lie to them to comfort them? (在眾多意外事故當中, Matthew常會碰到傷勢十分嚴重, 任何緊急救援已無效,隨時可能死亡的病人. 這時他常陷入兩難, 是說實話告訴病人他死定了, 或說謊安慰他們呢？)
Early in his career, Matthew chose to lie because he was afraid
if he told those gravely hurt people the truth that they would die in terror or
in fear for those last moments of life.（在早先時, Matthew決定說善意的謊言以免那些垂死的病人在生命最後幾分鐘, 處於極恐懼害怕中離世）
However that all changed with one incident. 5
years ago, he responded to a
motorcycle accident where the rider had suffered critical injuries and there
was nothing Matthew could be done for him, and like so many other cases, the rider looked at him and asked that
question: "Am I going to die?" In that moment, he decided to tell him the truth. Matthew was shocked by this dying people’s
reaction, he simply laid
back and had a look of inner peace and acceptance
on his face. There is no such big terror
or fear that he thought would be
since long and from that moment forward, he decided not to comfort the dying people with lies. (五年前的一個個案改變了一切. 一個嚴重車禍導致傷勢不治, 即將死亡的騎士問他這個一再被提及的問題 [我是不是快死了？] 在那當下, 我決定據實以告, 出乎意料的, 這垂死病人聽噩耗後只是身子往後躺, 但臉上看起來是平和地接受這個事實. 長久以來他以為病人聽實話後恐懼害怕的反應並沒發生, 從此他決定不再說善意的謊言來欺騙瀕死的人.)
Having responded to many
cases, Matthew found almost every case, they all had the same reaction to the truth, the inner peace and acceptance of their last moments. Furthermore, Matthew observed
& concluded three (3) patterns in all these cases: (從此以後, 他發現幾乎每一案例,那些人在聽到實話後, 臨死之前的反應都是平和地接受. 同時Matthew也觀察理出三種模式來面對死亡)
1.
Regardless of religious belief or cultural
background, there's
a need for forgiveness or simply say they have a regret. Once he cared for an elderly gentleman who was having a massive heart attack. He looked at
Matthew’s eye and said, "I wish I had spent more time with my
children and grandchildren instead of being selfish with my time." A
big shock to me that facing his imminent death, all he wanted was forgiveness. (不管是宗教信仰或不同文化背景, 臨死時都要求被寬恕, 或簡單的說, 遺憾悔恨！他舉一個例子, 一個長者因嚴重的心臟病發作, 在死亡前幾分鐘告訴Matthew他很後悔自己的自私沒有花時間在兒女及孫子身上. 這另Matthew很驚訝,面臨生命結束時, 他只想要被寬恕！)
2.
The 2nd pattern is the need for remembrance. Whether it was to be remembered in his thoughts or their loved ones', they needed to feel that they would be living on. There's a need for immortality within the hearts and thoughts of their loved ones, or anyone around. （第二種是被記得的需要, 不管是言論思想被記住或被他心愛的人記的, 他們希望自己是不朽的, 能被世人或心愛的家人常記心頭）
3.
The 3rd one touched him the
deepest ! The dying need to know their life had meaning. One of his
call, there was a female in her late 50s severely hurt and in a critical
condition. she said to him that she was
a mother of two adopted children who were both on their way to medical
school. Because
of her, two kids had a chance they never would have had otherwise and would go on to save lives in the
medical field as
medical doctors…….as
her last words（第三種最叫他感動, 瀕死的人最想確定他們的人生有意義沒白走一遭, 他舉了個例子, 一位快六十歲的婦女在車禍中即將喪命, 她臨死前的最後幾句話是告訴Matthew她領養兩個小孩, 因為她的關係, 兩個孩子得以有機會發展學習, 現在是醫學院學生, 日後可當醫生救人, 她的人生有意義……）
Through his career
experiences, he finally realize that regardless of the circumstance, it's generally seen with peace and acceptance and that is the littlest
things YOU brought into the world that give YOU peace in those final moments. (經過這麼多年, 他終於了解不論任何情況下, 人臨死前［是否能平靜祥和的離開) 端取決於我們如何對社會一點一滴所作的付出）
