The following is a reflection on my home visit in my Family Medicine rotation:

I gained a lot from my home visit experience because I chose the right patient. I chose a patient that I can relate to and, at the same time, learn from. She is a 62-year-old Filipina woman who was diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer last November. She came to her office visit with her husband and her sister, and I knew this was a patient I wanted to know more about. I'm Chinese, but I dated a Filipino man for over 6 years and one of my best friends is Filipina, so that influenced my decision in choosing her. I expected that I would feel comfortable in her home since I've spent so much time in the homes of Filipino families. I admit that I stereotyped her based on my life experience - I assumed she would be happy to open her home to me. And with that assumption, it was easy to ask if I could do a home visit with her. All three of them said yes, like they were a collective.

She is a former dialysis social worker with a BA and masters from Sacramento State. I was really impressed with her level of education since she was an immigrant. Her former occupation gave her a lot of insight with her current struggle, but it's still so different when you are the patient. Her husband also retired when she was diagnosed, which is financially straining. With her work experience, she knew they wouldn't qualify for IHS income because they don't qualify for Medi-Cal.

She is not able to walk because the cancer metastasized to her spinal cord. Her lower extremities were atrophic, but they still had sensation. I was happy to give her a foot rub. She sleeps on a hospital bed in the living room and her husband sleeps on a twin bed beside her. She doesn't sleep well and gets anxious, which means her husband doesn't sleep well either. Fortunately, she has a great family support system, and she has siblings who relieve her husband so he can rest. Her siblings also cook for them.

She is Catholic and uses prayer to help cope. She takes it "one day at a time." I'm not a particularly religious person, but I really respect the fact that religion helps people be appreciative of their blessings despite their tribulations. It helps people find peace.

At 24 years old, I'm not familiar with death and dying. But every year I'm in medical school, I learn to accept it as a part of life a little more. This patient is going through something very awful, but she is lucky that she is not alone. As she approaches the end of her life, she is surrounded by people who love and care for her. Not everyone has that.