Facing and Coping with Serious Illness

After reading "The Middle Place," it is obvious that the first thought that a person who is diagnosed with a deadly disease is about oneself. Although the person has others in his or her life—in Kelly's case a husband, two children and her parents—it is human nature to contemplate the staggering possibility of the end to one's life. Like Kelly, most young mothers would soon think of the children but it is natural that the initial fear focuses on self. But soon reality hits and while Kelly may have felt like going in a corner and getting into a fetal position, she had two babies that needed her. She could not go crawl under the covers and feel sorry for herself. Her life was threatened and her very existence was at risk but life went on for her daughters...