Reference no: EM133423260

When Alan was 25 days old, he was diagnosed with a fatal congenital condition. When his parents learned of his diagnosis, they were devastated. Earlier, they had given birth to a daughter with the same condition, who had died shortly after birth. How come they had the misfortune to give birth to two children with the same condition? Why them? What had they done in their previous lives to warrant such a tragedy? The notion of Karma in the Buddhist tradition is the belief that one's actions in past lives have consequences in his or her future lives. The parents understood their child who would die soon and, in discussions with the team, agreed that palliative care was in their infant's best interests.

David's parents were not religious. However, his grandmother, who had just arrived from northern China and did not speak a word of English, had strong Buddhist beliefs. David's parents had told her before she left China that things did not look good for her grandson; however, this gentle woman came to assist her grandson through this very significant transition. When she got to David's hospital room, she began to chant and continued to chant in spite of her fatigue after such a long journey. The nurses discovered that Buddhists believe that chanting helps connect the living with the higher being. She was chanting to encourage the higher being to lead her grandson's spirit to a happier place. Although she had not slept for more than 2 days, she continued her chanting, sometimes falling asleep while doing so. She also wrote a messages in Chinese on small cards, which were placed on her grandson's chest. These were also intended to help him get to the next place. The nurses were careful to put the cards back in place whenever they provided care that required moving them.

The nurses soon discovered that David's grandmother's belief was that more voices changing would strengthen the request of calling for the coming of the higher being. They began to chant with her. They further discovered that when David died, it was important for the chanting to continue for an additional 16 hours because it would take this long for the boy's spirit to leave his body. This would ensure the connection with the higher being. Although clearly not then norm that the deceased remain in the acute care setting that long, the nurses made this possible and transferred David and his family to a private, more peaceful setting. In doing so, they made a significant difference to the family.