“The aim is to postpone frailty, postpone degenerative disease, debilitation and so on and thereby shorten the period at the end of life, which is passed in a decrepit or disabled state, while extending life as a whole.” Aubrey de Grey, author of Ending Aging

Encouraging the patient to value life above all else will leave her in pain, likely alone, and most certainly afraid. Doctors help slow life’s deterioration. That’s not what we patients need, nor is it what Hippocrates intended with his oath. What we need is a foundation such that in the face of our pain, we will not be overcome by fear. We need reassurance that there is more to being alive than just the length and quality of our own lives. In our vulnerability, medical professionals are maybe “the patient’s only familiar in a foreign country.” The doctor is the example for the patient – living a life lost in those he serves and leading them to life beyond themselves.

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