ガンを患う大学院生のスピリチュアリティ

大学院に入学したが,まもなく大腸ガンと診断され手術,闘病生活に入った院生がいた｡単身で在宅療養の後,家族による介護を受けた｡ADLが低下して,日常生活が思うように送れないとき,ガンを患うことの苦悩と生活の質(QOL)の低下,院生としての信念の間で悩んだ｡友人にメールや電話で語りかけることで,自分のスピリチュアリティを表現していた｡社会と関わることで,自分の存在を確認し,大学に復帰する希望を持ち続けることができたと思える｡彼女がスピリチュアリティを高く保つことができたのは,家族の支援と友人や保健医療関係者との交流が関係していた｡

A postgraduate student who had been diagnosed with large bowel cancer underwent a surgery and spent her days under medical treatment soon after she had entered a postgraduate school. She took care of herself at home for her recovery for a while, but after that she got family nursing care. Deteriorating activities of daily living due to suffering from cancer caused deterioration of quality of life, so she worried about her declining confidence as a graduate student. Then she tried to express her spirituality to friends by talking with them using e-mails and telephone. It was considered that she could keep on having a hope to return to school because she always tried to come in contact with society to realize her situation. Family support and communication with medical staff as well as with friends seemed to have helped encouraging her spirituality during the days of her fighting against disease.