Neuro Note 1: Me Before You
Me Before You
Me Before You is an enticing story about a young woman named Lou Clark who
works as a caregiver for a man named Will Traynor. Will, who was once a
rambunctious risk taker, sustains a spinal cord injury that leaves him
paralyzed from the neck down. At first, Will is bitter towards Lou and doesn't
treat her with much respect. But over time, Will and Lou's feelings and respect
for one another grow into a romance. But unfortunately, the news of Will's plan
to participate in assisted suicide doesn't sit well with Lou, who devises a
plan to change Will's mind.
I read
Me Before You this past October and after I finished it I just kind of laid
there for a second and asked myself "Is that really how the book just
ended?". I couldn't believe it. I got my hopes up because *spoiler alert*,
I didn't think he'd go through with it. Don't get me wrong, it was an
incredible book, I just thought that the love Will and Lou shared would have
been enough to keep him alive and happy. For me, I think it would've been
enough, but then again, I'm not Will, and I don't have a spinal cord injury.
But that's just it, isn't it? I don't have a spinal cord injury, so how would I
know how I would feel if I did? That's just it, you can't know how you would
feel unless it happened to you. Some people see their spinal cord injury as a
way to embrace life and be thankful for a second chance, but some people, like
Will, don't see a way out. I remember reading on a plane ride to Idaho and the
person next to me asked "Oh what's that about?". Well when I
proceeded to tell her the general description of the plot she said to me
"Wow. How horrible and sad. I feel bad for people like him [Will
Traynor]". Of course, I was upset how the story was playing out and I
would hate if someone I love made the decision of assisted suicide. But after doing
some rather depressing research on the matter (and still hating the idea), I
thought to myself, “who am to judge a decision that makes someone happy?”. Just
because someone seems stable on the outside, doesn’t mean they have the same
mental stability.
I chose
to write a reflection about Me Before You for my Neuro Note because I
absolutely loved the book and I think it's important for people to understand
that each client that has sustained a spinal cord injury will have a different
outlook on life. For me, it was difficult to look at the story from Lou’s
point of view because if it were me, I would have felt like a failure. I would
hope that if it were me in Lou’s position, that my significant other would find
me enough to keep living life.
I think
it's important for current and future occupational therapists to understand
that not every client who has a spinal cord injury is going to be motivated to
live life to the fullest or be motivated to get back to the most normal
life possible. Therefore, it is always important to keep a client’s mental health
into consideration as well. Also, as an occupational therapist, it is important
to keep the family in mind. Support of family and friends can go a long way in
successful treatment and interventions.
Moyes, J. (2012). Me before you. New York: Pamela Dorman Books.
Wow Gracie! That was a great neuro note. You just put a lot of different things in perspective for me. It's very true, we don't how it feel to have a SPI and the emotion that come with it. Thank you so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteP.S. Let me borrow that book! Seems like an interesting ready
I did my first Neuro Note over this as well (well the movie)! I agree with everything you said. I think Lou would be an excellent occupational therapist!
ReplyDeleteGreat post Gracie! I felt like I could actually hear you saying all of this out loud while I was reading it. I also agree that it is so important to consider a client's mental health! Those are the parts of a person that can't be seen unlike one's physical health.
ReplyDelete