"My Sister's Keeper"
posted: Jun 28, 02:28 PM
My daughter and I went to see “My Sister’s Keeper” yesterday afternoon. It is one of the most emotionally intense movies I’ve seen in forever.
“My Sister’s Keeper” is based on the book of the same name, by Jodi Picoult. She is one of my favorite writers, possibly because she chooses controversial topics, researches her material and then presents it all in a highly readable manner.
The story is basically about a young girl who has cancer, its impact on her and on her family. I’m not going to spoil the movie for you by telling you what happens and to whom, but, as a cancer survivor I found it realistic.
I managed to avoid crying (marginally) until the chemo scene. I don’t know if it was her hair or a combination of “things” but Kleenex became my friend. My daughter, who had read the book more recently than me, had started crying about 15 minutes into the movie.
I do not know how oncologists survive their work, particularly paediatric oncologists. I remember when I was sick being so grateful it was me and not my child who had to “do the cancer” journey. I have a friend who is an oncologist and I constantly notice his empathy, openness to humanity and his emotional intuitiveness. Perhaps this is purely an aspect of his personality or perhaps it is his personality coupled with “sharing” his patients’ journeys.
I remember during my radiation treatments sharing the waiting room with a little boy. He was probably about 10 or 11 and the children’s hospital was over booked and he was receiving radiation at the adult location. All I could think at the time was “why did life have to be so hard for someone so young?”
“My Sister’s Keeper” is about a mother’s experience of her child’s illness. I may not have agreed with her choices, but I could understand why she made them.
I plan on reading the book again. The movie was excellent, but books are always better. The ethical decisions which are the basis for “My Sister’s Keeper” are well worth pondering. Essentially, I believe the parents’ initial choice, although understandable, was unethical.
“My Sister’s Keeper” is both thought provoking and heart wrenching.
Gemini