The movie “WIT” is based on the Pulitzer Prize winning play of Margaret Edson. This was and HBO film by Mike Nicholas and Emma Thompson. “WIT” is a personal story of terminal illness. Most of the movie scenes takes place within the hospital where the film’s main character Dr Vivian Bearing a 48-year-old female is being treated for advanced stage IV metastatic ovarian cancer. Unfortunately the cancer went undetected in stages 1 through 3 and the tumor is spreading quickly. Vivian Bearing is a professor of English literature specializing in seventeenth century poet John Donne’s (holy sonnets). Now diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer Vivian is offered an 8-month course of aggressive experimental chemotherapy treatment plan by her oncologist Dr Harvey, Kelekian. She agrees to this plan of care and quickly signs the informed consent form without asking any question or any clarification. What is surprising to me and we see it all the time by many doctors, her oncologist was very cold,unemotional, with no compassion or empathy towards her regarding the news he had just broke to her. He just placed emphasis by tell her that when she does start this experimental treatment, she should take the full dose of the chemotherapy med at every section and she should be very touch. Dr Kelekian speaks in medical terminology and with little regard to patient right to be fully informed of the details of the experimental course of chemotherapy that she has agreed to undergo.

Within this movie we see the main charavter Viviango through the various stages of death and dying; stage 1- denial, we see Vivian struggling to come to terms with her illness and how the tables have turned with her role changed from instructor/professor and now she was theobject being studied. Stage 2-We witness her with anger when she refuses to go with nurse “Susie” to have animportant abdominal sonogram requested by the doctors done. Stage 3 depression follows when Vivian began to isolate herself and hardly spoke to the medical staff because she figured it was pointless. Dr Kelekian the oncologist had very little regard for Vivian as a patient but saw her as a research project because according to the younger fellow Jason Posner Dr Kelekian was amazed that Vivian had made it through this aggressive course of the experimental chemotherapy and was on her eighthtreatment, which he didn’t think, was possible. Kelekian throughout the movie often told Vivian keep pushing the fluid as though she was a machine. When she returns to the hospital ER sick after a few days of being discharged, Kelekian says “You’re doing swell, isolation is no problem, a couple of days, think of it as a vacation” There was also another incident which showed that Bearing was merely a guinea pig to this experimental medication therapy. The fellows had grand round with Dr. Kelekian and with no regards to the patients feeling or state of anxiety they openly discussed existing and predicted adverse effects of her Chemo treatment. They were so wrapped up in the results of this experimental chem. Med that they missed the obvious side effect her baldness.

Throughout the movie we witness nurse SusieMonahan who play a role as the compassionate, caring individual who humanizes Vivian and treats her with the respect and dignity she deserves. Susie advocated forVivian in many ways she told her truthfully about hercondition and her end of life care, also about her rights andexplained to her about a full code and what DNR means and gave her a chance to decide what she wanted. She also attempted to advocate for Vivian by trying to have the Dr decrease he dose of chemo med because she was getting worse but they were only interested in the results of the experimental chemo med.  Susie witnessed that Vivian was in excruciating pain and attempted to advocate for her by advising the Dr to give her a PCA but they went on to give her a Morphine drip. Susie really went above and beyond for her patient and further intervened when Jason called the code Blue because he was unaware of Vivian’s DNR status. Susie honored Vivian’s last wishes by showing the code team her DNR and having them stop performing CPR, it was difficult for her but she advocated and treated her patient with respect, dignity and justice. WIT touch upon a very common practice we see all the time in healthcare, which is how the well-being of patient is placed in harms ways by doctors without full disclosure just to satisfy their own research agenda and professional interest. This move gave me an opportunity to witness how a terminally ill patient preserves her struggle for a cure and how she is treated by healthcare professional.

I am horned to have gotten a chance to see this film and I would recommend it to any healthcare professional because this was a real learning experience for me. I witnessed the disregard for pt privacy, dignity or respect. I saw Susie as an educator and patient advocated with her patience and compassion. This movie really brought tears to my eyes and I have to re-evaluate how I care for my patients and hope that I can be like Susie and fight for all my patients in that way.