Visiting the Sick – This Patient’s Perspective |
Until I became the patient, I never truly understood the Mitzvah of Bikkur Cholim – visiting the sick. I had always thought of it as clearly a very positive thing to do – it is a Mitzvah – and is a largely selfless act of going to see those who are in need of ‘Chizzuk’/strengthening. It is simply a good thing to do.
Then I got sick – a very specific type of sick – a terminal illness which is progressive, relatively quick and for which there is no cure. It is called PSP – Progressive Supranuclear Palsy – and is a neurological condition that shares some similarities with Parkinson’s but has the added benefit of the same protein (TAU) as Alzheimer’s. It is a truly special concoction — a cocktail I would never have ordered off the menu.
I am in year 6 of the illness and it has a life expectancy of somewhere between 6-10 or 6-12 years, so I am in the zone and according to the doctors am following the path – probably ahead of plan.
It has physical and mental symptoms caused by the damage it does to the brain – it makes you more apathetic like Alzheimer’s, causes cognitive dysfunction (which has been minimal for me so far) and has huge movement issues related to balance, optical vision and slowness of gait – all of which means I am in a wheelchair with a full-time carer at 50.
So, now I think about Bikkur Cholim differently – I have a whole new perspective.
As a religious........